Book Sexy
by Kelyse Llewes
Summary: Story about the next generation of Hogwarts. Allie and Jase are best friends. But when Allie discovers she's really in love with Jase she decides to transform. But unveiling will be rather hard when Jase brings a hot sexy girlfriend home. Please R&R.
1. Nikki

**Book Sexy**

**Introduction**

Have you ever wanted to be sexy? Like drop dead gorgeous with the power to attract and drive any man crazy? That with one flick of your hair and with one look you could stop a man in his tracks and have him stuttering and bumbling over something nice to say to you? I sooooo wish I could do that. I would do anything to be that sexy.

But, gawky glasses and with my nose stuck in a book 24/7 isn't really sexy, at least not to any of the guys I know. The one guy who I have been crushing over for years, the boy who I would kill to hear him say he loves me, has never paid me any mind. Not like that anyway. Being my best friend and wanting help with his homework and being the guy who comes to me every time his heart gets broken doesn't count as attention, not really. I know him better than any of those girls he winds up with, and still he refuses to see the light. If only I had that sexy allure that I was talking about before, that BAM! power that would make him see me in a whole new light.

Sixth year I was the top of the class. I had everything going for me; my grades were the highest they could get. But still I had never been on a single date. Sure he'd say we could meet up at the Three Broomsticks on every Hogsmeade trip, but he would always drag some girl or another along with him. I would smile and engage the new girl—usually someone I knew from a class—in conversation and pretend that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. But at the end of the day, I would be the one sitting at the end of his bed and talking with him into the night. He would fall asleep and I would tuck the covers under his chin before tip-toeing out of the room. It was just really hard to make this man, the hottest and most charming boy in school, look at me for what I felt inside.

That's probably why, during the summer when he went back to Ireland and I went home to Cambridge, I decided that the upcoming year was the year when I would transform from the awkward caterpillar into the beautiful butterfly.

Contacts replaced my glasses. I let my usually short and fluffy brown hair grow and then had it cut and styled to frame my face. I went to a local muggle beauty course where I learned how to apply make-up such as eyeliner, mascara and blush. Living with a single male parent never helped me out in the beauty department. Adding to that was the fact that Dad was always buried under a pile of archeological tomes about a hundred years old. He encouraged the whole book thing, which I will never regret because I simply love books. But that's also why most guys didn't go for me. A bookworm.

And when looked in my mirror for the first time after I'd made all these drastic changes I felt for certain that he would recognize me this year. This was the year going to be different.

I knew I wanted to set the perfect stage for my big reveal. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hide my haircut as easily, but I knew that if I wore my glasses until the right time and ditched the make-up 'til then, I would have a pretty good chance. I wanted to see his eyes pop out of his head and his mouth drop open when he saw me. I'd see that exact same reaction in a musical once. Annie Get Your Gun. Betty Hutton who played Annie Oakley, always did it when she saw Frank Butler, played by the famously handsome and talented singer, Howard Keel. When Jason saw her me decked out for the first time, he would do that, I would put money on it.

Oh yeah, his name is Jason by then way, Jason Eaven. Like heaven without the 'H'. He'd been my best friend since our first day on the Hogwarts Express, and he'd been my secret crush since our fourth year. I fell off my broom trying out for our house's Quidditch team that year and when I opened my eyes he was leaning over me calling my name. I knew right then I was a goner, for two reasons. 1. Because a girl who reads about Quidditch in a book and thinks she'd be good at it should never have been talked into trying out for the team by her best friend; and 2. Because when I looked up and our eyes met, I had this shattering-glass feeling as if someone had let light into a small, dark space. Finally it dawned on me: I loved him."

Needless to say I did not make the team. Jason made the team. He was made captain the following year and has been ever since. He's athletic and brilliant, which is probably one of the reasons I adore him so much.

It's funny; I didn't realize it until I hit my head, so I kept wondering if it was all just a part of some mental problem from that injury. But then I hit my head again in the library one day when my book dropped underneath the table. Jason had snuck up behind me and scared the bejeezus out of me and I think I whacked my noggin harder than I had when I fell off my broom. After the buzzing noise and the blurry pictures stopped, I looked up at him and I was still in love. But again, he still looked at me as he had always done; like a really good friend.

Usually we spend a few weeks together every summer between school terms, but not the interlude between sixth and seventh year. Instead he was heading back to Scotland and then he and his family were traveling to Australia for the holidays. So I had lots of time to prepare. I had a notebook full of one-liners that might tell him how I was feeling, such as, "Hey handsome" or "Where have you been all my life?" Some of them only worked for after he had done something truly heroic, like the line: "My savior". But then some of them opened the conversation to ideas like, "If you had one wish and one person you could share that wish with, what would it be and who with?" I didn't know how well that one was going to turn out though. It was a little cheesy. But then again, half the sayings in my notebook were the cream of the crop, i.e. the cheesiest lines ever said. Believe me; I got some of them out of a book entitled _The Greatest Love Quotes of All Time_. Oh yeah, if you want cheese on that sandwich, ask me, I'll dish it out.

I received a letter from Jason a couple of weeks back and he told me all about his trip. I sent him back a short letter telling him a little about the book I was reading and a little about how boring my summer had been. I didn't tell him anything about my new look, I didn't want to give anything away. He sent me a single line after that letter: _Same old Allie, nose buried in a book. See you first day. Jase. __._

Yep, same old Allie, at least on paper, but when he saw me on the first day, I hoped that he wouldn't see the same old Allyson Graham. I wanted him to see someone else. I prayed with all my might that he would see someone changed, altered…and maybe even a little bit sexy…hopefully.

**Chapter One: Nikki**

I found a compartment no problem. I had to drive myself to the train station because my dad was working all night at the museum. He told me that he'd pick up the car when he got off work at eleven. I had to be on the train for eleven so although I was a little peeved that my dad hadn't seen me off on my last first day of school I didn't really mind. It gave me a chance to get my head together for the first time I saw Jason.

In my compartment I fiddled with the tassels on my new tan suede jacket that my dad had brought home from one of his digs in Texas, U.S. at the end of July. He'd only been gone for a few weeks, and in those weeks I had gone for broke and transformed myself. He was surprised when he saw me, a reaction I was banking on today.

I took a deep breath and to calm myself I pulled out the new book I'd bought for the first few weeks of school. They were always the most boring weeks of the school year, when everyone is just getting into the schoolwork and the teachers aren't assigning too much. I always read a book in those weeks and then again at the end of the year in between studying. It was my good luck charm during exams. At least that's how Jase saw it, especially after he saw the number of OWLs I received the previous year. This year NEWTs was a way bigger deal, but I felt worrying about it now would be counterproductive and I would turn into a big nervous wreck, which was twice the amount of nerves I wanted to be dealing with.

I flipped open to the first page and looked down at the chapter title when a gummy bear dropped out of the sky. I picked it up frowning and then turned towards the compartment door. Jason was standing there with his hair longer than usual and draped over his baby blues with a cocky smile on his face. "Figured a bribe was as good as any to get you outta that bible you're reading."

I held up the page for him to see, "First page, numb nuts. I haven't even started." Laughing I popped the gummy bear into my mouth and smiled at him.

Rising I set my book down on my seat and he came fully into the compartment. Holding a small carry-on bag in one hand he enveloped me in a one-armed hug, which I would take any day of the week, one armed or any other way. "Mmm," he whispered in my ear, "home. Good to see you Allie"

"You too," I replied, utterly breathless. He thought I was home. Eeee!

I let go of him and he set his bag down opposite me. I sat down—on my book—and when Jase moved away from the compartment door I saw someone else behind him. She was…my worst nightmare. Liltingly beautiful and emanating sex appeal, she walked into the compartment and Jase put his arm around her. I felt my hopes and dreams crashing down, tumbling full tilt down a jagged and rocky slope with no hopes of stopping except bruised and broken at the bottom of a lake somewhere.

"Allie, I would like you to meet Nikki." Jase introduced her possessively and I knew my worst fears had been realized.

"Nikki?" I squeaked.

Nikki held out her hand to shake. I stared down at her perfectly polished and manicured nails. "Hi, I'm Nicole Delarouso."

I could tell from her accent that she was definitely Australian and as my hand lifted to shake hands with her I could feel all my efforts from the summer, all the changes I had planned to make, slip away into the abyss. She was beautifully perfect, nails, blonde hair, bright blue eyes and body that any man with a dick would say was to die for. And her smile, despite how sweet and innocent it seemed on the outside was nothing but on the inside. I could almost feel her sneer leering out from behind her perfect teeth. It was decided before we'd even met that we'd be enemies from day one.

"I'm Allyson Graham," I managed to say, not quite sure if there was a shake in my voice.

Nikki let go of my hand, "Yes, I've heard all about you. You're practically all Jase talks about." They both sat opposite me in the compartment and Nikki's hand rested on Jase's jean-clad thigh.

Jase? Only I call him Jase, everyone else calls him Jason. I was the only person who had ever called him Jase. From what I'd always noticed, I was the only one who could get away with calling him Jase without him having a shit-fit. Now, this Nikki was calling him Jase and his eyes merely sparkled and twinkled at her with affection. Ahh!

"Well, Allie is my best friend, so its only fitting I gab about her to everyone I meet," Jase said. For a moment I was flattered to know he told everyone about me. but then I remembered the context. When I saw Nikki's hand pet his thigh my temper instantly flared.

She looked back at me sweetly, "Would it be alright if I called you 'Allie'? I just know we're going to be great friends."

My ass! I wanted to yell at her. But Jase beat me to the punch by saying, "Sure thing sweetie, everyone calls her Allie. Of course you can too. I just know you are going to get along with each other famously."

My eyes narrowed for the briefest of moments when he did two things; 1. Called her 'sweetie' and; 2. Answered for me. I sure as shit didn't want her calling me Allie. I was Allie to my friends only, and never to Medusa Incarnate with twiggy blonde hair. But I smiled sweetly because I didn't want to disappoint Jase. "Sure."

The whistle blew and the train lurched forward. It was the best feeling in the world; a speeding train going through a new terrain every year—for some strange reason—headed for my favorite place. No one really knows exactly where Hogwarts is, but that's okay. Just so long as it exists is fine with me.

Conversation varied. Mostly it was Nikki asking me questions and instead of my answering them, Jase always seemed to get there first. Then when Nikki ran out of questions she went to staring deeply into Jase's eyes and I wanted to jump across the compartment and rip her hair out.

So, to take my mind off it, I picked up my book and replaced it in my bag before excusing myself and taking a stroll down the train. I kept on walking past gawking first years and then every year up to seven and it wasn't until the very front of the train that I found a compartment filled with people I knew.

Teddy Lupin sat inside with Victoire Weasley, his arm draped around her, as they had been quite the couple for a few years now. Across from them sat Bradley Coogan and Melody Barrows, all seventh years, and all my friends since first year.

"Allie!" Victoire said, noticing me at the door and greeting me with a big hug. I received the same from Melody while the gentlemen simply nodded their hellos and began chatting about Quidditch. "What are you doing here? Where's Jason? I didn't figure on seeing you until the feast," Victoire continued, pulling me down beside her on the seat.

I sighed, "Yeah well, Jase brought home some candy from Australia and I'd rather not share." My eyes narrowed dangerously and both girls got the idea. Girls seem to have this internal signal that brings everything into perspective for each other even without saying a word. And when guys were involved, that signal heightened twofold.

"Uh-oh," Melody said while wrapping her black hair around one of her fingers, a habit she'd developed because her mother hated when she cut her hair. It had always been down to her lower back, flipping and flopping everywhere. She usually had it pulled back in one or two braids, but today it was loose and flying free around the compartment. "Candy, that'd can't be good."

"What's her name?" Victoire asked.

"Nicole Delarouso. Australian. Blonde. Legs for days. Perfect."

"Whoa!" Melody and Victoire said.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," I replied, wrapping my arms around my stomach and shifting my weight from front to back.

"What? Why?" Melody asked.

I waved my hand, "I'll tell you later." I gestured to the men-folk beside us with a cutting motion at my neck. Both girls nodded and I sighed with relief. Despite Jase being my best friend and being a guy, it felt good to be able to gush to my girl friends.

"So Allie," Teddy spoke up from beside Victoire and me, "Are you going to try out for the Quidditch team this year again?"

"Oh ha, ha, Teddy, dream on."

Teddy, brown hair with rugged handsomeness, always got a kick out of teasing me for my rather clumsy moments in the past. Brad across from him guffawed with laughter and I narrowed my eyes at him—it seemed I was doing that a lot today. Brad had always been more intimidated by me and I couldn't fathom why. Teddy teased that it was because he had a huge crush on me, but our friendship had never gone past platonic and he seemed content with that. He was a good buddy and he stopped laughing the second I looked at him. This seemed to make Teddy laugh even more and Victoire had to smack him to get him to stop.

Conversation continued lightly and without consequence. When the light outside started to dim I found myself dreading the moment when I'd have to go back to my compartment and collect my things. The first star came out and I couldn't hold it off any longer. I got up and said my see-you-laters to everyone and started back down the train towards Jase and his Australian Barbie-doll.

I knew it would be bad when I got back. I thought I'd get awkward looks and questions about where I'd been, which I could definitely handle. But when I stopped outside the door and slid it open without looking through the window and then looked up, I never expected to see what I saw. Nikki had straddled Jase, her lips locked with his and I couldn't see his hands, which meant I didn't want to know where they were.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt," I said, both upset and sad about finding them this way. I didn't think it took two months to get to that stage of physicality, but then what did I know about relationships.

Both stood up suddenly and straightened themselves, plastering the got-caught-with-your-hand-in-the-cookie-jar face on. With their lips swollen and faces red, I sighed and took out my robes and grabbed up my bag. I was about to leave again when Nikki spoke up, "Where's the washrooms on this train? I'd like to freshen up while I change." She winked at Jase and he cleared his throat before answering her.

She left and I wrinkled my nose, disgusted, and turned back to Jase who still looked incredibly guilty. "She seems…ahem…nice," I said.

His cocky smile appeared, "Yeah, she's great. I'm glad you like her."

I hadn't said I liked her. But saying that I didn't like her to Jase might mean Jase would give me up over her and I couldn't let that happen. Instead I just smiled as I removed my tan jacket and started pulling my Hogwarts uniform over my head. And it was just like me to get stuck and not know where the neck hole was. "Um…help?" I whispered, hoping Jase was still there.

I heard him chuckle, "Always the graceful one," he said before I felt his hands tug on the hem of the sweater and my head popped up through the neck hole I hadn't been able to find by myself and my glasses fell off.

The clingy material had made my hair all frizzy and staticky, so when I brought my hair out from underneath the collar of the sweater it when whoosh and fly-a-ways stuck up every which way. Again Jase chuckled as he pulled his t-shirt off to replace it with the Hogwarts T. My breath sucked in when I saw what he had become over the summer. His abs were magnificent, his tan was delicious and I wanted to reach out and touch. But I just couldn't. It was all I could do to just stand there, looking, with my hair frizzing into oblivion. It was over in a second though and he had replaced another T over his gorgeous body and then his sweater. I grabbed up my glasses again, pulled on my black robe and dug through my bag to find the hair brush I'd stuck in there somewhere.

"You know," Jase said from behind me as he pulled on his own robe, "you do that every year."

"I do what every year?" I asked.

"You get stuck in your sweater every year, first day on the train. Sometimes even a few times throughout the year it happens."

"Sweaters were designed by devil and I will hate them forever," I said, pulling the brush I had finally found through my hair.

Jase let out a bark of laughter and folded up his old T before tucking it away into his bag. "I have never met anyone before who disliked sweaters as much as you do, Alls."

I smiled, "Yeah well, I'm one of a kind. And sweaters can all rot in whatever pile they were dug out of all those years ago. A coat is the only way to go, I always say." I held up my new tan jacket I'd had to discard in order to put on my uniform.

"Nice. New?" Jase inquired.

I nodded, "Dad's last dig was in Texas and he brought it back for me."

"Texas. Cool. Let me guess, he brought you back another book too." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes and my head lolled from side to side before answering, "_Cowboys and Indians _by _Ingrid Weksby._"

Jase's Cheshire cat grin always got to me, and he always did it when he was trying not to laugh at whatever book my Dad had last brought me or a book I'd picked out. So when he gave me that same grin now I leaned over and smacked him with my hair brush. "It's a good book."

Choking back his laughter he held up his hands, "Oh I believe you." I put my hairbrush back in my bag, satisfied that it was as tame as it was going to get right now. I stood back up just as we rolled into Hogsmeade station. "Hey," Jase said, "I like the hair, it suits you."

My hand went self-consciously to my head and my heart lifted with the compliment. "Really?"

He nodded, "Really. It's different, but stylish. Makes you look more grown up and yet cute at the same time." He opened the compartment door just as Nikki was strolling back up the hall. They greeted with a kiss and turned to walk down the corridor with my trailing behind them.

Cute? Cute! I wasn't trying to look cute. I was trying to look sexy, damnit! But I guess that didn't work when you wore glasses and raved about books all the time. Whoever heard of being 'book sexy' before?


	2. Friendly Advice

**Chapter Two: Friendly Advice **

There are some girls who have a natural kindness towards others. Then there are some girls who are just plain mean to everyone they meet. And with some you don't have to try to be nice because that's just the kind of person they are. Others you have to try really, really hard to like. Well, with Nikki, nobody was even thinking about trying to be nice to her. She wasn't a likeable person in general. Sure she was gorgeous, and all the guys were drooling over her, but all the girls hated her. I foretold her friend count this year to equal zero. The guys thought the sun shined out of her ass. The girls all wanted to scratch her eyeballs out.

When it came to Jase, he worshiped her. It wasn't supposed to be happening like this. This year was supposed to be my year. This year was going to be my moment, and instead it'd turned into the Year of Nikki. We hadn't even started classes yet, hadn't even finished dessert yet and already my life was a living hell.

Victoire, Melody and I were walking back from the Beginning of the Year Feast, our stomach's laden down with as much fried chicken and treacle pudding as we could eat and heading towards our dorms. A-typical of our little group of friends, we weaved in and out of young-ins who were meandering after the feast, and made a beeline for the common room.

Gryffindor has had several famous wizards and witches in its day, and several of them still worked at Hogwarts, including Professor Longbottom who was now Head of Gryffindor House. I'd never really worked myself up about the nostalgia surrounding the Lion's Red and Gold, but it was home nonetheless. The Fat Lady bid us welcome and the three of us mounted the stairs to our dorm.

There were three dorms for seventh year girls and thankfully there wasn't a single empty space in ours for Nikki. There was Victoire, Melody and me, as well as 'Starr' Morgan, who wouldn't actually tell us her first name, and Gemma Grace, who we all just called Gigi. We all had our little talents as far as a group of friends went; it seemed to be a trend with the cliques of Hogwarts.

Starr was a dazzler as well as the most kick-ass Quidditch keeper out of the four house teams. She had short black hair that was cut so fashionably, ending around her chin, she swore she'd be on all the magazine covers some day. She was also rather tiny for being so athletic measuring just under 5'4".

Victoire was the girly-girl who wore frills and lace and had a songbird voice. That went with having a Veela for a mother. She took every chance she could get to dress us up, which meant every morning and every trip to Hogsmeade. Her silver-blonde hair hung around her shoulders and her blunt-cut bangs feathered her forehead above gorgeous violet-blue eyes. I had always envied her for her eyes.

Melody brought music to the mix because she had a thorough knowledge of every single musical instrument every invented on the planet. She used to go to a juniors music conservatory before she'd come to Hogwarts. And since coming to Hogwarts she'd gone to a special music school in California during the summer. She also took on the role of entertainer within our group, for as well as her musical abilities; she was a great actress and brought a little flavour to our days.

Gigi was a little 5'2" rebel with spiky strawberry-blonde hair that she mixed red and pink and blue and green and any colour she could get her hands on. She had a piercing through her nose, eyebrow, belly button and at least five on each ear. Her life's ambitions were to bungee-jump in the Grand Canyon or climb Mount Everest or trek the entire length of the Great Wall of China. She had the weirdest taste in clothes, which Vic always turned her nose up at, and felt that any challenge was worth the effort.

So I knew each of them would help me in some small way in my battle against the evil seductress, Nicole Delarouso. I could feel it in my bones, and after we made it into our dorm and plopped down onto our four-poster beds, saying hi to everyone, I spilled my guts about Jase and Nikki. Gigi and Starr had been sitting in a compartment just up from where I'd spent most of the afternoon and they were both bummed that we hadn't come one car further, but when I told them everything they completely forgot about my not saying hi to them earlier.

"Bitch!" was the first thing out of Gigi's mouth.

I laughed and there were several noises of agreement. I sat up on my bed and pulled my sneakers off, dropping them on the floor. "You guys all know how in love I have been with Jase, hoping he'd feel the same way about me."

"Yep," Starr agreed. "You've been pining for his love for two years. I'm glad you're finally getting 'round to doing something about it."

"Ditto," Melody said. "But now I guess it seems almost like its two years too late."

"Screw that!" Gigi said climbing out of her black robe and unlacing her knee-high hooker boots. "Allie has everything Nikki has tenfold. I really think Jason needs to get whacked upside the head with a brick. Or better yet, we'll hit Nikki upside the head."

Knowing how utterly unsentimental Gigi was, I could've almost kissed her for saying that. Instead I said, "Aww, that's probably the sweetest thing you could have said Gigi."

She looked up from her laces and grinned, "Anytime."

Vic came back out of the bathroom wearing a frilly top and bottom pair of pajamas that were pink with hearts all over them. Gigi wrinkled her nose at them and rolled her eyes before heading for the bathroom. "So what are you going to do about her, Allie?" Vic asked, settling herself into her bed.

"Knock her upside the head with a brick," I mumbled, tugging off my t-shirt and then pulling my XL football jersey/sleep shirt over my head.

Starr and Melody laughed as Vic gasped in shock, "You can't."

"Yo, sensible-starlit, give it up," Gigi said coming back out of the bathroom. "She's not actually, are ya Al?"

"Nope," I said, tugging down my jeans and climbing back onto my bed. "She's dirty though. She knows I'm a threat. How can I fight her off when Jase is so head-over-heels in love with her?"

"Fight her off with a book," Melody suggested slyly as she braided her long hair at the foot of her bed.

"You mean this one?" I said, grabbing one off my nightstand and chucked it across the room at her. Melody ducked behind her bed just in time. The book went whizzing past and I grabbed my wand from my stand whizzing the book back, narrowly missing Melody's head on the way. The laughter around me comforting. It let me know that not everything had changed. And as the book landed back in my hands and I felt its wonderful knowledge and weight, a sense of knowing that some things were certain. "Fight fire with fire," I said, setting the book back down and taking off my glass to lie back on my pillow.

"That's the spirit," Starr said from beside me on her own bed. "Give her a taste of her own medicine."

"But how much medicine is enough to get rid of her and how much is too much that it gets rid of Jase too?" I asked.

"Just show him how fantastic you are and how you two belong with each other. Find little things about her that should piss him off or things about him that should piss her off and play 'em off one against the other," Gigi suggested.

"Yeah, but don't you think when Jase finds out when I'm doing he'll…I dunno…snap or something?"

"Not if he has a head on his shoulders and eyes in his head to know and see how great you are," Vic said, cuddling down under her covers and yawning.

Though I still had my doubts, I knew they were right. There was no reason why I couldn't win him back. He was never really mine, not in that sense, but he was still mine. I knew everything about him and I loved it all. I could make him mine. I had changed my appearance for him. I wanted him to think I was sexy and I knew to do that I couldn't give up now.

"He's changed over the summer, don't ya think?" Melody said. "I mean, he's totally a hunk, not that he wasn't before, but now, yum!"

I let out a hoot of laughter and had to agree, "Oh yeah. His abs are to die for."

"Oh, you suck!" Gigi muttered from her four-poster. "Of course the bookworm gets the hottie. Where is my hot-fudge sundae?"

"Honeydukes," Starr said and I could hear the smile on her face.

I saw the blur of a pillow go by and Starr's oomph. The pillow flew back where it came from and the tired giggles of the dorm finally died down.

The next morning there was very little movement when the sun finally peeked through the open curtains at the window. Girls aren't usually early risers…except for Victoire Weasley who flits around the room at 6am in her school uniform, making a lot of noise on purpose to wake the rest of us up. I lay in bed with my eyes open but not seeing anything while Gigi grumbled, Melody yawned, Starr hummed to a song she was listening to on her tiny muggle musical device and Vic twittered to us all about how the first day of classes meant being punctual and prepared.

"Punctual my foot!" Gigi said as she stumbled her way to the bathroom.

I finally sat up straight and my head spun for a moment before I felt around for my glasses and put them on. My world instantly came into focus and I slid my feet over the side of my bed. Wiggling my toes on the plush carpet beside my bed I yawned and blinked several times trying to wake myself up fully.

Vic came over to the end of the bed and coughed to get my attention. I looked and saw what she held up. "I've already picked out what you should wear today to get Jason to love you." Pink and frills and lace.

"I want him to see how fantastic _I _am, not go prancing around as his Barbie-doll duplicate," I said sleepily. "I'll pass."

Vic hmphed and walked away muttering something about no sense of fashion and I walked to the now vacant bathroom. I looked in the mirror at my gawky glasses and took them off to wash my face. I didn't shower but I put on some citrus perfume that I'd bought a few years ago and gotten addicted to. I brushed through my hair and pinned back the bangs before replacing my glasses and exiting the bathroom. I rummaged through my trunk and pulled out a pair of snuggy blue jeans and a crimson-coloured top that hugged what little frame I had. Unlike everyone else in the room who had curves and boobs and an ass that made men ogle at them, I had a tiny waist, a considerable B-cup rack and a flat ass that only looked good in jeans.

Dressing was a menial task and when I finally tugged my ugly devil-sweater over my head, Starr was the only person left in the room.

I heard her walk over to the door and open it. They would all go down to the common room and wait for me. "Oh," I heard her say. "Well hello handsome. Hey Allie, you have a guest. Go on in Jason. See you downstairs."

Shit! I was stuck again and Jase was there. I heard him walk in, set something down and come to stand in front of me. "Stuck?"

I sighed, "Just help me please. You can laugh after; just don't make me stand here with my sweater over my head."

"Deal," he chuckled before he helped me through my sweater. "Why not get a zip-up sweater instead?" he asked.

I tugged on my hair, "It would still give me issues in the morning. Ever gotten hair stuck in a zipper?" Then I noticed what he looked like this morning and nearly cried out in shock. "What have you done to your hair?" The hair that had been longer the day before was now all different lengths with uneven chops.

"Magic haircut?" he said sheepishly while shrugging. "Guess it's not my chosen profession. I was hoping you could help me out."

Shaking my head I went over to my night stand and opened the drawer to pull out a pair of scissors. "Sit down, silly," I told him. "How do you get yourself into these things and why am I always the one to get you out of them?"

I went to stand in front of him and grabbed a towel from the end of the bed. Wrapping it around his neck I went to work on his bangs, working my way around his head to even things up.

"Because I'm special and you're just lucky I guess," he replied.

I laughed, "Yeah, you're special alright." I flicked his cranium. "In the head!"

"Ow." He shrugged then. "I keep hoping I'll grow out of it, but it hasn't happened yet."

"I doubt there's a chance that you will ever grow out of this ability you have to inexplicably mess things up. You're brilliant and I love you but you are probably one of the most thickheaded guys I know." There I'd said it. I'd said I loved him…except it hadn't been in the way I really meant.

"What are you talking about?" Jase asked. "I'm the only guy you know."

I shoved him gently before warning him, "I have scissors buddy, and I'm not afraid to have you go walking out of here even worse than you did when you walked in."

"Truce," he conceded.

A few more careful snips and his haircut didn't look half bad. It looked like it used to, before he'd grown it out into a shaggy surfers mullet. "There, all done."

"Excellent." He stood up and took the towel and the hair clippings to the bathroom. He shook out the towel in the shower and then peered both ways at himself in the mirror. "Excellent," he repeated. "You have a gift, Alls." He walked back towards me.

"Yeah, right, fixing all your mistakes." I set the scissors back in the drawer and picked up my book bag.

"Ouch," Jase remarked, picking up his own bag and putting his arm around me as he'd always done. "You know what Graham, you are really mean." His smile made me want to melt right then and there.

"Part of my charm," I grinned at him.

"I thought so. Hey, thanks for the hair cut."

"No problem," I replied, "Just don't try to cut your own hair again. For me, please?"

He laughed, "Deal. Come on. Food!"

I was still chuckling when we walked into the common room. Like a magnet Nikki was there, lip to lip with my best friend who until a few seconds ago had had his arm around me. "Shit."

"Hey Allie, did you say something?" Nikki said, plastering herself against Jase's side now.

I looked up and smiled, "Nope. Nothing at all."

"Oh, okay!" She was all perky and annoyingly hyper. I glared daggers at her back as I rejoined with my friends and we walked through the portrait hole.

Gigi came up beside me and linked arms with me. "Tell ya something," she said, "This is going to be a tough nut to crack. But I enjoy me a good challenge. And I love it when you get angry. It's so hilarious. I think Brad was going to piss himself."

I laughed and looked back to see Brad walking beside Teddy and Victoire, who were once again joined at the hip. Brad looked sheet-white and when I looked at him he simply looked away. He has issues. I giggled and let myself forget about it for the moment. "You're right."

"Course I'm right," Gigi said before twittering off to someone ahead of us. Starr and Melody came to fill the space Gigi had just left.

"I wanna see you slap her," Starr said.

"Who? Gigi?"

"No!" Starr rolled her eyes. "Nikki, she's such a phony."

"Agreed," Melody chirped from beside Starr. "Fake with a capital F. She is totally not a natural blonde and I know an act when I see one. When you talked to her, before you looked up, she was giving you this calculating look. As if you were someone to be…like…executed or something."

"Whoa," I said. I looked ahead to where I saw Jase and Nikki walking down the last flight of stairs. "Good thing I've got you on my side."

"No worries," Starr put her arm around my shoulder and smiled. "We're here to take that bitch out! Every step of the way."

"Ditto," Melody said.

"You guys are great," I laughed as we finished going down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

I wouldn't let Nikki get to me. I needed to talk to Jase though. I needed to spend some quality time with him to figure out what he saw in her. Jase had never gone for the stereotypical blonde model before. He'd made some really bad choices, but never one this bad. She must have some other attractive quality that I wasn't seeing. Well, of course I wasn't seeing it; I didn't think with a dick. And before now I didn't think Jase did either. But Nikki changed that thought faster than a speeding bullet. Was it because she was sex on a stick? Did I have to lower myself to _that_ to get Jase, because if that was the case then he might not be worth it…?


	3. Chip Pit Ritual

**Chapter Three: Chip Pit Ritual**

Whoever invented homework should be killed and hung by his entrails off the Astronomy Tower, probably because it's the thing I could think of that was the same size as our homework pile at the end of our first day. I didn't get my first spare period until Wednesday and it was last period that day, which probably meant that I was just going to be doing homework through it as well. Friday's free period was at least after lunch and then I went to Herbology, meaning I got an extra long lunch followed by a fairly easy class. But with everything due on the Monday following that, I was probably going to be spending Friday's free period in the library under a mountain of papers and books. So, like I said, the inventor of homework should be violently murdered. Even if he's already dead, and so on and so on, just because I feel like being nice to him.

Seventh years were already feeling their workload and I'm telling you, it was a crippling feeling like no other. I sat in the common room until about ten o'clock before I finally gave up. Nothing was due tomorrow but I still hated to have things hanging over my head like an executioner's blade. I packed my books away and waddled my way upstairs, a place that everyone else had retreated to over an hour ago. I had my hand on the doorknob when I heard a whispered voice behind me.

"Psst," and then the crinkle of a chip bag. I turned around to see Jase in pajama pants and an old T-shirt, holding a bag of Humpty-Dumpty regular chips. "First of the year, common room empty?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, let me put my stuff away and I'll be down."

I dropped my bag the second the door was closed and tried to be as quiet as possible. I didn't want to wake anyone. I looked over and saw that Melody was reading. She frowned at me with her question and I mouthed 'Jase', pointing my thumb over my shoulder towards the door. Melody made an 'O' with her mouth in understanding and then winked at me. I rolled my eyes and quickly took off my day clothes and slipped into my oversized jersey and a pair of pajama shorts. Also, just for effect, I put on my fluffy bunny slippers and grabbed a hair tie to put my hair up.

Jase and I had always done this. Our first day on the train first year we figured out that we both loved Humpty-Dumpty chips. So one night, at almost eleven, when everyone else had gone to bed, we snuck down with a bag of chips and talked all night by the fireside. It was, what we liked to call, our Chip Pit ritual. That's what we named it that first night. Even though we weren't really by a fire pit, just a fire place, we called it Chip Pit because Chip Place didn't sound right.

I snuck back down the stairs and found Jase stretched out over one of the sofas. The bag of chips was in his lap, already open and I could hear him munching on some already. I grabbed a pillow from one of the chairs and whacked him lightly over the head with it. "Why didn't you wait for me?" I snatched up the bag and then shoved his legs over so I could sit beside him.

"You were taking too long. Why is it that girls always take fifteen minutes to 'put stuff away' or an hour to 'just be a minute'?"

"Female prerogative," I said as I grabbed a handful of chips and popped 'em in one by one. Whereas guys can shove multiple junk foods in their mouth at the same time, girls prefer one at a time. It seems daintier. "Just like we can wear tight clothes to make your eyes pop or instead of eating the whole strawberry tart at once we like to take a few bites and savor it. We're allowed to."

He quirked his eyebrow at me and in the flickering firelight I thought he looked so damn sexy I could just jump him right here. It's a good thing I'm a sensible girl though and knew that he was unavailable and his girlfriend probably wouldn't like it so much if I did that. But then again...if I kissed him, maybe there was a chance that our kiss would light some spark inside him and he'd realize he loved me. Then there'd be an angry tiger cat after some nasty revenge and I'd probably wind up worse off than when I started. So, no kissing tonight, despite how much I really and truly wanted to kiss Jase right then.

Even though I knew the subject was going to come up sooner or later, when Jase said Nikki's name and then a sentence after it I groaned. "Nikki doesn't like strawberry tarts," he said.

After momentarily groaning, my mouth dropped open, chips and all, "What?"

Jase rolled his eyes and snatched the bag of chips back from me. "Don't give me a Chew-n-Show, geez! Yeah, she doesn't like strawberries at all. It's weird."

"That is weird. She must be from another planet or something." I smiled, hoping he would smile back at me. He didn't though, he frowned. "What?"

"You don't like her."

"Is that a statement or a question?" I asked.

"Allie. Truth."

"Oh I dunno," I threw up my hands in defeat. I hadn't been playing nice for very long, he hadn't given me a chance to like her. Immediate answer? Of course I didn't like her; she'd stolen Jase from me, but obviously I couldn't say that. Not now when I was wearing glasses with my hair tied back in bunny slippers and an old jersey. I sighed, "It's only been a day, Jase."

"Yeah, but I know you," he said, quirking his eyebrow at me again. "I can tell things about you that you might not even know yourself. Or maybe that you just haven't admitted to yourself. It's happened before."

He did know me pretty well. Still I said, "Why do you think I don't like Nikki?"

"Your top lip curls whenever I mention her name."

"What? Really?" I hadn't even realized. I'd have to be more careful.

Popping another chip in his mouth and then offering me the bag he said, "Mhmm. It's almost as if you're snarling at her. Did she do something to offend you in that girly world of yours?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Girly world of mine?"

He chuckled, "Easy there tiger. Not yours specifically, you nut, but when girls fight its more subtle, like a revenge plot rather than having it out with one another. It's just different from how guys do it."

I laughed and took the bag of chips back from him. "That's because a guy's main form of communication is a grunt and they fight with their fists rather than words."

"And nails, and hair pulling, and slaps..."

"Shut up," I laughed at him. "Girls are just different. And no, your girlfriend hasn't done anything to offend me. I hardly know Nikki, Jase. You can't expect me to get to know her overnight. Girl, remember?"

He nodded, "Gotcha. Well, just give her a chance. It would mean a lot to me if you did."

"Yeah, how come?" I asked, trying to lighten the conversation because I could see where this was headed and I didn't like it one bit. There was nothing scarier than the man you love admitting he was in love with someone else. There was nothing more heartbreaking either. To lighten it even more I wiggled my fingers over to the bottoms of his feet to where I knew he was deathly ticklish. "Hmm?"

He saw what I was doing and he eyes lit up with laughter and something akin to fear but a fake kind. Tickling isn't a pleasant experience usually, but it's always funny. "Hey," he warned, "Don't you dare." He grabbed one of my bunnies and ripped it off to expose my foot and positioned his fingers at the bottom of my foot as well. "Two can play at this game."

I tried to pull my foot away so I could still tickle him without getting assaulted myself. This scenario was reminiscent of the night we both discovered our ticklish spots on the bottoms of our feet. It was during one of our Chip Pit rituals and we were asking each other all sorts of questions. After we tried to avoid the other knowing we were ticklish we both attacked and laughed until some of the upper-year students came trickling down the stairs and yelled at us to go to bed.

He wouldn't let go of my foot now, so I pretended to back away from his. Instead of doing the same, Jase just continued tickling me anyways. Trying to stay as quiet as I could and trying not to pee my pants at the same time, I laughed until my hair band fell out and my glasses fell off. "Truce, truce!" I gasped out.

He released me. I tried straightening myself but I couldn't find my glasses. Feeling around I saw the blurry Jase in front of me sit up straight and grab something on the floor. My glasses. He reached up and put them on my face for me. Then he sat back and just looked at me while I put my hair back in a tail. "You know you look different without your glasses," he said.

"You've seen me a hundred times without them. What's so special about now?" I asked, my heart suddenly beating faster.

Jase shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe it's the way your hair fell around your face. You look, I hope you don't take offense to this, but you look beautiful when you're not wearing them."

I bit my lip and embraced what he'd just said. I wanted to reach out and hug him for real, but for now that little compliment was mine. I came out of my moment and asked while laughing, "Why would I take offense to that?"

He laughed too just then, "I'm not sure."

"Well thanks anyway. It's too bad I can't see without my glasses. You become a pixelly picture with no distinguishable features when I'm not wearing them. It's too bad beauty can't go two ways."

He smiled, "True. Have you ever thought about contacts?"

I couldn't give him a solid answer or else I'd be lying. I could say maybe, but I decided on a more noncommittal answer and shrugged, "Meh." Clever I know, right?

"Just a thought," he said, shrugging in response.

"I'll keep that in mind," I said; finally back on solid ground as I grabbed the almost empty chip bag.

"So will you give her a chance?" Jase asked.

"Give who…oh Nikki?" we were back to her again. A chance to back off and move back to where she came from, sure, I could do that. "I'll give it a shot."

"Sweet, you're the best."

"Mhmm, but you still haven't answered my question. What's so special about her? Why is it so important I give her a shot?"

He raised his eyebrows at me, "That one should be pretty obvious, Alls." He sighed and I knew I shouldn't have asked him again. It was a big, super, huge mistake on my part. "I'm crazy about her," he said. "It doesn't make sense, but I am. Two months shouldn't be enough to know something that serious, but I just do. It's there. It's love."

And ever the clever me, I answered, "Oh." Brilliant, the man I loved was in love with someone else and there wasn't a darn thing I could do about it. Jase was walking off into the sunset with Barbie and I was going to be left to my books forevermore, wondering about what I could have done to get him first. I felt like I was going to be sick.

Crinkling up the chip bag, Jase looked at the smoldering fire and then at the grandfather clock in the corner that read 11 o'clock. Had it really been an hour? No way, it didn't feel like it had been that long.

"Well, I think we'd better get to bed. I'll bet the professors will dump an even bigger workload on us tomorrow," he said, standing up and stretching his hands high above his head. He was so handsome it was killing me not to touch him, to hold him, or to simply call him mine.

"Oh yeah," I said though not moving from my spot on the couch.

"You coming?" Jase said, moving around to make his way upstairs.

I turned and looked at him, "Yeah, I'll be up in a few minutes. I'm just gonna…" mumble, mumble, mumble.

Jase didn't seem to have heard my mumbling and just shrugged saying, "Suit yourself. G'night Allie."

"Yeah, g'night. Jase."

I turned back to face the fire when Jase added. "And for the record, for about the billionth time, I love your slippers. Gotta get me some bunny rabbits."

I laughed without turning around and keeping my voice as normal as I could manage, "It's on my list for your birthday."

"Sweet! G'night."

I heard his footsteps on the stairs and as if my stomach weren't feeling as twisted as it did at that very moment, I had to go and make it worse by curling my legs up to my chin, hugging them tightly, and crying my eyes out.

The next morning, just as before, Jase came into my dorm room when everyone else had left and when we reached the common room Nikki was standing there waiting for him. Her hair was always perfect, her nails perfectly manicured and her eyes were bright and blue, the same as Jase's, and behind their glowing splendor she was scowling at me. I was a stain on her perfect relationship and I knew that no matter how much quality time I spent with her, I would never, ever! like her the way Jase wanted me to.

She surprised me every day however, because just when I thought some evil-woman was going to spring out and attack some lesser being, she remained calm and cool. In the Great Hall during lunch on Thursday a clumsy fifth year sitting beside her spilled his pumpkin juice on her lap and it soaked right through her expensive-looking skirt. I sat across from her that day in between Gigi and Melody and I saw her bite her lip really hard as if she was trying to push back the dragon lady. I thought she was about to rip the boy's head off, but she just stood and while he was stuttering and mumbling his apologies while attempting to dry her skirt off she continued saying, "No, don't worry about it, it's alright." I can keep myself happy while imagining that as soon as she reached her dorm she broke a decoupage egg that had been given to her by her previous boyfriend.

No, surprise after surprise and I still wasn't convinced that she was all good. It was that stink eye that she kept giving me that gave away her goody-two-shoes-act. Everyone told me they'd seen it behind my back and I saw it once or twice when she looked directly at me.

I tried to spend as much time with Jase as I could and during the first week in between homework and class and food there was still a good deal of time really. But I knew once the homework started to pick up (as if that was even fair!) and he started Quidditch practice, I was pooched. Jase would go from bed to food to class to homework to practice to food to bed again with some more food in between. And Nikki would cling to him every step of the way. I had stopped myself so far every time I thought of the possibility that she snuck into his dorm some nights and…nevermind.

On Friday at lunch Jase sat down beside me to wait for Nikki to get out of class. When Nikki finally arrived and Jase rose to greet her, a snog on the lips and then some, I was shocked and dismayed when Nikki sat beside me and Jase on the other side of her instead of the other way around. Was she already trying to wrench her way into our relationship? Of course she was. What the hell was the stink eye if not that? Nikki poured herself a cup of pumpkin juice and took a sip before turning to me.

"Hey Allie, you have a free period right after lunch right?"

"Um…yeah."

"Oh great, I have some questions about the Defense Against the Dark Arts notes and I need help with my Potions essay that I thought you would be great at helping with." Was that a question? Oh, no, it was coming, "Is that okay? Would it be cool if I hung out with you during free period?"

I felt Gigi on the other side of me nudge me in the back and Jase on the other side of Nikki was smiling at the little exchange so as much as I wanted to I couldn't very well say no. "Sure," I said meekly, hoping I sounded a little more neutral than horrified. I didn't want to sound enthusiastic because I knew everyone would be able to tell I was totally lying.

"Great!" Nikki exclaimed, obviously a better actress that I had given her credit for. She looked totally sincere. I looked across the table at Melody and she gave a very unladylike snort before meeting my eyes and shook her head. At least we were on the same track. Phony-faker was still on the Melody Drama Radar.

Nikki began gabbing to Jase and I was left to my chicken salad sandwich and dreading the end of lunch. The bell rang and most of the Great Hall filed out to go to their next classes. Jase got up and left, as did Starr and Melody. Gigi still sat beside me; she had free period with me thank God, and Teddy and Victoire hadn't shown up to lunch at all.

Nikki gathered her books and stood to leave. "Are you coming?" she asked a little more snootily than necessary.

Instead of being annoyed however I jumped up and grabbed my bag, Gigi following suit.

Nikki looked surprised when Gigi started walking beside me. "Oh, are you coming too?" she said, feigning innocence. I wanted to smack her.

Gigi however had no qualms about showing her true feelings towards the She-Devil. "Uh, yeah. Free period, friend, homework. It isn't rocket science."

"What's rocket science?" Nikki said with her face still screwed in a scowl directed at Gigi.

Gigi scoffed, "You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" She took off down the hall and called back, "I'll meet you there. I'll save the table."

"She's strange," Nikki said as Gigi walked away. I still wanted to smack her.

"She dances to her own beat," I said, thinking that Gigi would like that compliment. Gigi always said that being the same was just plain boring and that being different was where she got all her excitement.

"She's probably got a few screws loose," Nikki continued.

"_She_ happens to be my friend, so can you please stop saying those things about her." Oh boy did I want to throttle her pretty little neck.

"Oh hey, chill," Nikki said as if everything she'd been saying was my fault somehow. Her disposition changed then from ice queen to goody-goody in two seconds flat and she had a wide and uber fake grin on her face. "So, I'm really glad we get this time to get to know each other."

"Uh, yeah, me too."

"Oh really, that's just great, because I have heard so much about you. All of Jase's past stories include you somewhere and I know you have been a big part of his life."

"Yep, best friends." I didn't like the way she'd said 'past'. Almost as if that's all I would ever be in, Jase's past.

"Well," she smiled sickeningly sweet at me, "I just wanted to make sure that's all it is."

"What do you mean?" I almost growled at her.

"Oh you know. Girl to girl, you can tell me." The hell I can! "As long as you promise only to ever be his friend then we have no problems with each other." Oh you are a huge problem, a bug I intend to squish. "Okay?"

"I don't make promises," I replied, which was true. I never made promises…with snake-like hell-raised fire-breathers who steal hopes and dreams. "But we're just friends." For now.

That seemed to suffice for the time being because she simply smiled her honey smile at me and nodded her head. She changed the subject then, "I probably know everything about you from Jase so there's no need for you to tell me, but how's about I tell you a little bit about myself?"

Dear God, do I really have to listen to this guttersnipe? "Sure."

As we walked through the corridors she somehow managed to tell me all about her home in Australia, all twenty-six rooms, a dozen bathrooms, and magnificent front windows of glass that looked out over the Australian coast. She told me about the castle her father had purchased from some lord in Ireland and how he planned on giving it to her when she got married. We were just discussing her shopping habits, her poodle, Minnie, who she missed very much, and the last pair of high heels she'd just bought. As I approached the table where Gigi currently sat, all I could think was 'what the hell does Jase see in this girl?' Well, that and 'I am going to murder this bitch!'

I opened my books and pulled out all my homework assignments just as Gigi had done and Nikki followed suit. I put pen to paper on my Charms essay but I didn't get past the first sentence. Nikki kept bombarding me with questions. So when the hour-long free period was up I'd gotten seven words down on my parchment. The rest of the time I had been reluctantly helping Dumbo and answering the lamest questions on the planet.

I walked off to Herbology with Gigi, who had the exact same schedule as me, while Nikki skipped down the hallway towards Divination, the most retarded class in the school.

"That went well," Gigi laughed brightly, though her mood was probably just one level better than mine.

"Ya think?" I said sarcastically. "She's a toad. I want to crush her. I do not understand why Jase is dating her. Why the hell would he want that?" I pointed angrily behind us to where Nikki had just disappeared.

"Sex."

"What?" I gasped.

"She's a blonde bombshell and guys think with their dicks. He says he's in love with her, but really she's leading him around by his nuts and being all manipulative like 'I am Goddess and worship me or else I'll smite you' and shit."

With the way she said it I couldn't help but break down into a fit of laughter. We were still laughing when we entered Greenhouse 4 and set down our books beside Melody and Starr, who'd reached the plot before we did.

"What's so funny?" Melody asked.

"I am," Gigi piped up. They frowned and she just said "I'll tell ya later," as Professor Longbottom, Head of Gryffindor began the lesson.


	4. Jase and Allie, Friends

**Chapter Four: Jase and Allie, Friends **

Let me just state this in the simplest terms I can manage: there is no crutch for the crippling amount of homework that the professors were giving us. And there is no simple solution to being dead on your feet at midnight and dragging yourself into bed only to wake again at seven. Technically seven hours of sleep are enough, but not when I was running around every chance I could get avoiding Nikki and trying to get Jase by himself. It seemed that every minute with Nikki got worse and every minute with Jase only got better and I so didn't want Nikki around anymore to ruin things. She would plod down the stairs even later every morning and make Jase wait for her in the common room, and I stayed with him like a good best friend and my other friends went down to the Great Hall to eat. Then she would float into the room, enchant Jase beyond all recognition—I thought I saw drool on the side of his mouth once—and then I would be stuck as the third wheel all the way down from Gryffindor Tower. I tell you, it's exhausting trying to break up a couple that seems so interminably in love with one another.

It was sickening watching Jase fawn over Nikki's every wish. "I'm thirsty." "Oh I'll get you something to drink." Or "Oh I'm tired." "I'll walk you to your room." One could only guess what happened when they got there because sometimes Jase didn't return to the homework table for an hour or so, and sometimes he didn't return at all. It was as if Gigi's theory about Nikki being a sex-goddess and leading Jase around by his male parts was true down to the last…well, male part. And I hated it. I needed an opportunity to show him the new and improved me, but every time I found myself looking at the case that held my new contacts or the outfits that Victoire set out for me most mornings, I cringed away from them and decided I didn't want to be like Nikki just to steal my best friend back from her.

And so I was exhausted and continued to be thus well into October. Then the first Hogsmeade trip was upon us and everyone but me was thrilled at the chance to get out of the school. I just saw it as another trip to Hogsmeade where I'd have to act nice to one of Jase's girlfriends, this being the worst one of all.

I dressed that morning and for once I gave in to at least half of Victoire's outfit selection, deciding that the shirt she'd selected did look pretty darn good on me. The green complimented my dark brown eyes and the long sleeves that ended in frilled cuffs hung outside the cuffs of my tan suede jacket that I decided to wear. I even blew dry my hair so that it didn't frizz into oblivion. And the best part about the ensemble, complete with blue jeans and sneakers was NO SWEATER! Yaay! It was going to be a good day…maybe.

Starr and Gigi had gone down to wait by the throng of students in the Great Hall while Melody, Victoire and I waited for each other to head down together. Despite being good friends with both Starr and Gigi—more Gigi than Starr what with us having all the same classes—it would always be Melody, Vic and I. We were a trio of very different tastes but we somehow seemed to fit together nicely. I'll never work that one out, but I really don't want to.

"Teddy's meeting me down in the Hall but then would you girls like to walk down to the Village with us?" Victoire asked as she gathered up her snow-white jacket and flattened her platinum-blonde hair. Unlike her father's hair, Vic had inherited Fleur Delacour's striking appearance.

I glanced at Melody and she just shrugged. Teddy wasn't our favorite person because he and his gooney friends always seemed to be doing something totally ridiculous, not to mention rude, as well as he was a sap with a capital S when he was with Vic. But we would suffer him for our friend. "Sure," I returned.

"Great!" Vic said. "Oh, Allie, I love that shirt on you. You look divine."

"Yeah," Melody agreed. "Green and tan are definitely your colours. And I do love your new haircut."

My hand went instinctively up to my hair and I tugged on the tassels of my jacket self-consciously. I seemed to be asking a question with those movements, though I didn't really know it, because Vic answered, "Don't worry. You look great. Jase is terminally ill for not seeing that."

"Totally," Melody said, pulling her colorful fall jacket on and grabbing her bag that was covered in musical notes. Melody was always known to use color very stylishly, not like the way Gigi did with her patchwork array of colours both on her clothes and in her hair.

"Ready?" Vic asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied.

We exited the dorm, walked through the deserted common room and then down the several flights of stairs towards the Great Hall. All the students from third year to seventh year were milling around the bottom of the steps and the doors at the front of the castle. I saw the spiky- and colorful-haired head of Gigi bobbing around near the front and Starr with her elegantly cut black hair was beside her. We weaved out way through the crowds to their side and waited for the chaperone professors to say the coast was clear and we could go. First trip was always a hassle because the professors were trying to work out the third year permission forms and they wouldn't let anyone else go until then. Pain in the butt to be sure, but what can we do, really?

"Where are Barbie and Ken?" Starr asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know where Nikki and Jase were.

"What's a Barbie and Ken?" Vic asked having come from a completely entrenched wizarding family, therefore knowing nothing about muggle toys. The rest of us had been on both sides of the tracks because we either had parents or relatives who were muggles. My aunt was a muggle and she'd given me a Barbie and Ken doll duo for my ninth birthday. Barbie ended up charcoaled by the end of my first year of school at Hogwarts and Ken had followed soon after.

"They're dolls," Gigi answered. Gigi's father was a muggle, an eccentric dresser who also happened to play bass guitar in an amateur rock band in London. She usually spent some of her summer holidays with him. Her mom and dad had split when she was seven but everyone knew that her dad was her idol. "Barbie is an annoying blonde with perky boobs, a tiny waist and a huge ass. Ken is the epitome of a male figure minus the package. I was given a couple Barbie's when I was younger. My dad's sister tried to culture me into the whole veil of female nonsense. I chopped all their hair off and gave them to my dog."

"Ha," I laughed, "Mine ended up the victims of a terrible explosion." I patted my side pocket where my wand resided.

"Ah," was the collective response. I loved my friends.

"Allie!"

I whirled around to see Jase pulling out of a small crowd and strutting towards me. He looked really good today. His blonde-brown hair was combed and neat as usual and he wore his tweed jacket with a white T and blue jeans. He was beautiful. "Jase!"

"Hey Alls, Hogsmeade then eh."

"Uh, yeah. Usually that's what all this hub-bub means."

He laughed, "Yeah well, mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all," I was thrilled, but… "Where's Nikki today?"

I must've sounded excited that she wasn't glued to his hip at the moment because he raised his eyebrow and I immediately dropped my ecstatic smile. "She's got a little head cold and she said she was staying in bed, which is fine. She isn't used to this cold weather." He simply shrugged as if he almost didn't understand it or was annoyed with it or I dunno. But somewhere I could tell he was glad to have a day to himself. "Ladies," he inclined his head to my friends.

All four of them instantly gave him the biggest grin they could manage. "Hey Jason," they said in unison, which was really creepy. Gigi nudged me in the back to push me closer to Jase while Melody stepped forward and said, "Yeah, you should hang out with Allie today, Jason. She's been really down lately, homework and all."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Starr chimed in beside her. "And we should definitely meet up later at the Three Broomsticks because this might be the only Hogsmeade trip we can make what with practices starting soon. Quidditch Cup this year Jason?"

Jase laughed, "Definitely. I've got my 'Starr' player." We collectively let out a groan at the horrible pun. "We're holding try-outs next Saturday for new players. We have to fill Kimmi Lane and Jordan Hawke, who both graduated last year."

Starr nodded, "Mhmm, filling Chaser and Beater, how could I forget."

Jase also held a Chaser position with Teddy Lupin. Kimmi had been a Chaser since her second year having come from a Quidditch crazy family and was up for Captains position along with Jase, but Jase's popularity had beaten her out. Jordan had been a Beater since his third year and so he was pretty high class meat as well, and he had been a big guy. Jordan's partner, Alec Frost was in seventh year now like the rest of us and he was a mountain on a broomstick. The only other position on the team was Seeker, filled by Bradley Coogan, the boy who always seemed intimidated by me.

"Quidditch nerds, chill out," Gigi interrupted, "The line's moving. Allie, Jase, Three Broomsticks at 4." And she turned to usher Vic, Melody, and Starr out the castle doors.

I wanted to smack her for her not-very-subtle shove and probably smack Starr as well for the implication I had been really 'down lately'. I watched them walk out the door and turned back to Jase with a smile. They had let me have him for pretty much the whole day though, which I was pretty happy about, so I couldn't complain. They were trying to be helpful.

"Shall we?" Jase said and we started to walk out the doors ourselves. It was a cool day but the sun was shining so I didn't mind. Jase and I walked through the main gates and as we shuffled along with the throng of students making their way down I stupidly tripped over a rock and almost did a face plant. Luckily Jase's hands steadied me before I tumbled over and my face met grass. "Whoa there, Tiger," Jase said. He hadn't let go of my arms yet and when I looked back up into his eyes every single coherent thought evaded me. "Are you alright?" he asked.

I'd thought that the only thing that could have made this situation worse was if Nikki showed up just then to see Jase's arms around me. But no, I was able to ruin it all on my own. My notebook, filled with little catch phrases I'd compiled immediately came to mind and I said the first thing that popped up, "My saviour."

He chuckled and I almost fell into his arms on purpose in order for him to hold me close but instead he let go and I stumbled back again. "Seems we're always getting each other out of some fix or another," he commented.

We started walking again and this time I was careful not to stumble, though it did cross my mind to do it on purpose once or twice just so he would catch me again. "Yeah," I replied, "we do kinda pull out all the stops for each other, eh."

"Like that time in Potions when you melted your stir rod into the cauldron."

"Oh yeah," I laughed, "and on the instructions it clearly stated that if that happened I needed to back up at least ten paces in case of an explosion."

"And you'd forgotten that part and so when the first rod melted, you just pulled out another one, and then another one because you were so afraid to just mention it to Professor Dibbs."

"Then you saw what, the fourth rod melt and jumped to my rescue before my cauldron exploded and then melted right through the table and made a nice crater in the dungeon floor."

"I do recall the back of my head getting a little singed," Jase said.

"Yep, you had a bald patch for about a week before it finally grew some hair and it looked almost even again."

"I never did understand why you didn't just look down at your book and read that it was a bad thing to keep melting stir rods. You are a bookworm after all."

I smiled sheepishly. I really did hate being called a bookworm, but I let it slide because it was Jase. It was almost a nickname for me when he said it. "I didn't think about it. All I was worrying about was that it had said to continue stirring for twelve strokes counter-clockwise and every three strokes my stir stick melted into the black goo."

"Ah," Jase said as we turned onto High Street of Hogsmeade Village. "Professor Dibbs was not very happy about that."

"That short, fat, balding wizard has never been very happy with anything I've produced in that class."

Jase shook his head, "It's not your gift."

"What is my gift then? Books? Seriously?"

Chuckling he punched me playfully. "Nope. I'm your gift. Charming, handsome, very charismatic. I'm the perfect talent to take to any dinner party," he teased.

I shoved him back, almost too hard and he nearly tripped over a couple of first years. "Ha, ha, you are so hilarious," I said sarcastically. "I'm being serious you fruitcake."

"Ah, seriously then? I'd have to say your gift is being very cheery. You are pretty much always smiling, which I kinda love about you. And you bring light to a rather dull and dusty bookshelf."

I was about to say that his last compliment wasn't really a compliment, but I glazed over the fact that he'd said he loved my smile. I was completely smitten so I ignored the dull and dusty bookshelf statement. "I've given you a great many titles to read that you've enjoyed, haven't I?" I asked.

"Sure," Jase returned. Then giving me a lopsided cocky smile he said, "You've educated me."

I'd take whatever I could get. I now felt that there was nothing Nikki could do to push me out of Jase's life. We still had everything we'd always ever had; chemistry, a great sense of loyalty, a firm friendship, and I wasn't about to let Nikki ruin it. My day now had a mission: to avoid the topic of Nikki.

As luck would have it, and I was running on pure luck today, we made it to Honeydukes, Zonko's Joke Shop and the Post Office to buy a few cards for upcoming birthdays and holidays, etcetera before we came to the equivalent of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasionsin Diagon Alley called _Rina's Everyday Robes_. Rina's shop included several eccentricities however, such as Halloween costumes.

"Hey did you know that the professors are letting us have a dance?" Jase said as we browsed the robe racks.

"What? Really?" I said, really excited all of a sudden. A dance. That would be perfect for an unveiling of my new look. It would create the perfect setting all by itself.

"Yeah, I heard it on the grapevine, plus all the fifth year prefects are talking about it. Apparently it's going to be sometime in April."

"April!" I groaned.

"Why do you say it like that? It's not like you dance anyways. I've never seen you dance, not that we've ever had a chance during school, but still."

I looked away and felt my stomach do a back flip. He was right. I didn't dance. I hadn't intended on dancing when I'd made the decision to have a complete makeover. But I didn't want to have to wait until April before I could tell Jase I loved him. Yes, time would give me a chance to learn how to dance, but it would also give Jase time to solidify his relationship with Nikki and I did not like the sound of that. Breaking it while it was still new and fresh was the way to go, but I didn't see how I could do that now. Maybe I didn't have to wait until April, maybe it didn't have to be this huge staged unveiling. But when else could I do it? Halloween? Costume? No, too corny. Christmas? Mistletoe? Also corny, but better. Oh hell, I didn't know anymore.

I looked back at Jase and studied him for a long time. He was examining a new pair of Quidditch robes. Was he worth waiting until April for? Did it have to be a big thing like that? He lifted his head and caught me watching him. Instead of frowning or asking me what I was looking at he just smiled and winked, taking the robes he'd been looking at to the back change rooms. Oh yes, he was so worth it. I'd just have to do a little bit more reconnoitering with Nikki's background and how exactly she fit into Jase's life, other than sex toy or eye candy. I would also have to try and tolerate her presence that much more. It was easier knowing I was well on my way to stealing Jase back from her, but now that there were seven months ahead of me I knew my efforts had to double tenfold. I just hoped against hoped that I didn't come to like her in those months.

Jase came back out into the main store to model his robes. I grabbed a deep violet sparkly robe and walked in his direction. I thought I might as well buy something to make my life seem at least a little worth while. I mean, I was in a good mood.

"What do ya think?" Jase asked as posed with the robes of a rich red and warm gold color. "I'll have to sew on my number, but that's no biggie."

"Don't you mean I'll have to sew it on?"

"Well, yeah, that's what I said, wasn't it?"

I rolled my eyes. "What's the difference between these ones and your old ones?"

"My old ones have a hole in the bottom right corner of the hemline where I accidentally pulled it on a nail last year. You remember that one; the nail caught my robe while I was flying towards the opposite end of the pitch and it grabbed it so well that I was pulled off my broom and left hanging there."

"Oh yeah," I laughed, "I remember that now. I kept trying to tell people that you did it on purpose to cover your ass for that total goof-up, but no one believed me."

"Yeah well," he flushed a deep red colour that matched his robes.

"Yes, I like them then. Those other robes need to take a hike down the walk of shame. Just like those old Nike sneakers, your baseball cap and your Chudley Cannons jersey." All of those items had come to some terrible end. A nail went through the sneaker while we were walking past a group of girls back in Cambridge during the summer. The baseball cap had gotten a tear in it from a fish hook coming from Jase's own fishing line as he cast on his boat in Ireland. His shock when the hat had left his head caused him to leap forward after it and he tipped the boat and we both went flying into the water. His orange and black Chudley Cannons Quidditch jersey was mixed in with his mother's and sister's laundry by accident and it turned a murky brown colour with patches of orange and black and no distinguishable logo left. He hadn't realized it was like that until he'd take his jacket off at a match and everyone started pointing and laughing at him. They had all bit the dust and all had been a big part of our memories.

"Yeah, I know," Jase sighed. "What are you doing with that?" He pointed to the robe I was holding.

"I'm going to try it on," I told him, sticking my tongue out as I passed him to go into the dressing room. I did a quick change and looked at myself in the full length mirror and then flattened my hair out so the static didn't make me look like a freak. I opened the door and whirled out into the store where Jase was now standing in his regular clothes having changed out of the Quidditch robes. "What do you think?"

He looked once and then had to do a double take to actually see me. I bit nervously on my bottom lip. Was something wrong? Did it look bad? Oh crap!

The robes were made of two parts, the dress part underneath had a deep V-neck that sparkled and shimmered before flowing down to end just below my knees in a handkerchief hem. The second piece was a sort of short-sleeved overcoat that was a sort of see-through shade of lavender that had a deep purple sash to tie it around my waist. The overcoat ended just past my butt in the same handkerchief hem as the dress. I'd taken off my shoes and socks to try it on as well because I didn't think they would go so well.

Jase still hadn't said anything so I sort of coughed to get his attention. "What? Oh, yeah, I like it. You don't usually like purple do you?"

I shook my head, "It doesn't go with my ugly brown eyes. Or my green rimmed glasses."

He simply nodded, "Yeah." He didn't contradict the ugly brown eye part so I assumed he didn't hear me or he thought my eyes actually were an ugly brown color. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

"So?" I had to nudge him further. "Yes? No?"

He was still looking down at the dress and so again when I said something his head snapped up. "I said I liked it, didn't I?"

"You did. Anything else?"

"What are you going to wear it for? There aren't many fancy occasions at Hogwarts to wear…ahem…something like that."

He was choked up, which could only mean one thing; he liked what I was wearing. I hated that only these kinds of clothes could make him nervous like this. But then again I loved that he was really looking at me and stumbling all over his words like a fool. It was really cute.

He was right though. Maybe I wouldn't buy it…now. I'd come back to get it later. One never knew when an outfit like this could come in handy. I turned back to my dressing room, "I'll just get changed. Be out in a sec."

I pulled on my jeans and green top again and replaced the dress and overcoat on the hanger. I grabbed my jacket and purse and went out to find Jase at the counter talking to the sales lady about return policies. I came up beside him and the lady asked how the dress fit. I looked over and saw Jase flush the same deep red colour as before and I answered, "It fit great, but I won't need it today."

"Well perhaps another time then," the lady said, smiling at me.

"Perhaps," I handed her the dress and she said she'd return it to the rack.

Jase and I exited _Rina's_, he with his bag of purchases and me with mine, minus the robes. It was almost 4 so we started trekking up Main Street towards the Three Broomsticks as. We walked in and I saw my friends over in the corner along with Teddy and Brad. I waved and we weaved through tables towards them.

Gigi was gesturing violently towards me. I moved towards her and she whispered into my ear. "Red Alert. Red Alert."

"What?"

"We have a huge, HUGE problem. She's—"

"Jase!"

"—here." Gigi finished just as Nikki appeared from around the corner and rushed over to Jase's side. Then, after what seemed like an eternal lip-lock, she stepped back. I groaned and sat down beside Gigi who was currently glaring daggers at Nikki.

"Nikki," Jase said. "What a…surprise. I thought you decided not to come in because of your cold."

"Yes well I thought it seemed an awful waste to not come in and see Hogsmeade. Besides, my cold isn't that bad. I just decided a half hour ago and I came. And I missed you." She walked her fingers up Jase's chest and they landed on the bare skin at his throat. She was practically purring.

I thought I saw Jase's eyes flicker briefly towards me, but I could have just been imagining things in the dingy, low-lit pub. It was only a moment after that thought however that Jase replied, "I missed you too," and my shoulders sagged back into the bench where I was sitting. How could he miss her? He hadn't said a word about her all day when he was with me. Yeesh!

Beside me Starr and Melody were fake-vomiting over the gooey scene we were forced to watch. I smiled slightly and Vic who was not usually prone to acts of violence actually cracked her knuckles in fists in Nikki's direction. I had to give that a small chuckle and then Brad from across the table passed me a Butterbeer. I nodded my thanks and he simply paled white. Ugh, he has issues.

I sipped my drink, enjoying the kick that it brought when it hit the back of my throat and I decided that from now on I wouldn't be going up against Nikki alone. I was liable to do something really bad, like throttle the living daylights out of her, if I had to deal with her by myself.

I was just thinking that when from their standing embrace I saw Nikki glance over Jase's shoulder and give me a look akin to _victorious_. Oh yeah, it was so on!


	5. TryOuts

**Chapter Five: Try-Outs**

The following weekend was Halloween and the school lit itself up into a frenzy of spookiness just for the occasion. There were giant pumpkins carved and set up outside the castle doors. There were bats flying around and magical cobwebs that had magical spiders crawling in them, which mostly gave the guys a thrill because the girls were terrified, myself included. There was nothing like waking up, going down for a lazy breakfast on a Saturday morning and having a bat swoop down out of nowhere making you spill pumpkin juice all over yourself.

I was semi-excited about Halloween, but not so much. Everyone else was so-so about it as well. The most anyone said was that they were looking forward to the Halloween feast and for after Halloween when the bats and spiders disappeared. No, what everyone was talking about was Quidditch try-outs. Starr was a whirr of excitement and I had to admit that I was pretty pumped as well, even though I'd given up my Quidditch dreams in my fourth year.

"Oh I so want to get on a broom again. This stalemate is killing me!" Starr whined on the Friday night. She was sitting on her bed cradling her broomstick as if it were a puppy.

"You are so weird," Victoire said while brushing her hair.

"Oh I agree!" Gigi commented from her bed, a book propped up in her lap and a scroll of parchment rolled out beside her. Gigi always made sure to finish all or most of her homework on Friday night so that Saturday and Sunday night were free. Right now she was working on the Charms paper we had due on Monday. I'd finished mine about an hour ago and was thankful that I only had to practice a Defense Against the Dark Arts spell this weekend.

Melody came flitting into the room from the bathroom, her hair braided in two tails, wearing her Betty Boop pajama shorts and T-shirt. "I can't wait until the Quidditch season starts," she said. "I love going to matches and cheering. I don't like it when it's cold and miserable, but then again we do get to come back in and have hot chocolate afterwards."

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. When replacing them I asked Starr, "Who do you think you'll get for a Chaser and Beater?"

Starr stopped purring against her broomstick and looked up at me. "Beats me. I'd like to have Andy Lessure for a Beater; he's got nice beefy arms. But I heard he flies crooked on a broomstick and that could be problematic. And no one can replace Kimmi as a Chaser, but we're going to have to find someone."

Kimmi had been one heck of a Chaser that was for sure. She'd been playing for the team for four years and she'd improved every single year. It was rumored that after she finished backpacking around Europe she was going to sit down with a scouting agent from Puddlemere United or the Chudley Cannons and see about getting a permanent spot in the Quidditch League.

"You sure you don't feel up to trying out this year, Allie?" Gigi said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

I narrowed my eyes in her direction was debating if I should throw a pillow at her or not. I didn't have to though because then Victoire spoke up. "I heard from Teddy who heard from Jase that Nikki plays Quidditch. She was on her old school's team and apparently she's pretty good. Do you think she's going to try out?"

I groaned. Of course Nikki was good at Quidditch. That's probably one of the reasons that Jase was dating her. I couldn't play Quidditch to save my life. I could ride a broomstick, but then to juggle a broomstick as well as either a bat to hit a Bludger or a Quaffle and toss it into a hoop would probably be the end of me. "If she tries out then I am definitely going to Confundus her ass."

Vic stopped brushing her hair as the others broke into fits of laughter. "You can't do that!" Vic said.

"God Vic, are you that naïve?" I said closing the book I was reading in my lap. "I'm not going to, obviously. I am going to sit in the stands and watch as Starr blocks every single shot Nikki attempts to get past her."

"Yeah!" Starr said enthusiastically.

I smiled, "I'm going to bed now. Starr, are you sleeping with your broomstick tonight?" I looked at her pointedly.

She shook her head, "No, it's going to be under my bed, just as it always is, thank you very much." She stuck her tongue out at me and then put the broom under her bed before rolling over to turn out her side-table lamp.

Gigi sighed, "Sorry if the light bothers you, but I really want to finish this."

We all mumbled our 'no problems' and went about our own business. Melody also had her lamp on and was writing something in a little purple and blue notebook that we'd gotten her collectively for her last birthday. She told us that it was perfect for writing lyrics for songs in. And because she happened to be humming at the moment, my first guess that she was writing a song was probably accurate.

Vic had stopped brushing her hair and made a trip to the bathroom before crawling into bed, yawning rather loudly and going to sleep.

I lay in bed for a few minutes thinking about the next day. October 31st and Quidditch try-outs all rolled into one meant a really long day. The parties would be in full swing tomorrow night, and Jase would be as high as a kite if he happened to find his two replacement players. And if Nikki was one of those players I was going to be lower than the lowest of the low by tomorrow night. For a second before falling asleep I thought, _Oh how I wish I could play Quidditch really well_, but then it wouldn't be who I was and I didn't want to become someone I wasn't. At least not to that extent.

I woke up the next morning to a stream of light falling across my face. "Who opened the bloody curtains?" I mumbled before turning my face into my pillow.

"Uh, that would be me," Starr said from beside me.

"You suck!" I muffled into my pillow.

"Aww, I love you too," Starr said sarcastically. "Wake up, it's almost seven thirty."

"Oh, seven thirty, my mistake, I thought it was really early," I lifted my head to peer at her dangerously through my messy hair.

"You do not look at all frightening like that, I'm sorry," Starr laughed. "Try-outs begin on the pitch at eight thirty and I think you want to be there for that.

"Eighty thirty? This is Saturday, right? This is the first day of the weekend when I am supposed to be allowed to sleep until at least nine in the morning." I blinked and rolled over to sit up.

"Nope," Starr said. "This is Halloween, the first day of Quidditch in the whole year, technically, and it's our last year to watch this sort of thing, so get your ass out of that bed, or else I'm going to steal your pillow, blankets and maybe even your slippers."

"That would be counterproductive," a grumbling noise from across the room. Gigi was stirring. Her strawberry-blonde hair which was usually spiky was all flattened against her head…for all of five seconds when she ran her fingers through it to make it messy/spiky again. "I'm up you ungodly woman."

"Me too," Victoire yawned, pushing her sleep-mask up on the top of her head. "Can't really get anymore sleep with all the noise you're making."

"You should be tied up, gagged, and thrown in some dark crevice," Melody said, shifting on the other side of Starr.

"Here, here!" I agreed giving a half-hearted fist-punch and yawning at the same time.

"Alright, ugly people, enough picking on me, please. We're up, let's deal with it now." Starr trying to defend herself was amusing. She held up her hands in surrender and I saw that she was already dressed in her Quidditch slacks and tank. All she needed to don was her robe, grab her broom and the ensemble would be complete.

The rest of us started going through our morning ablutions, which took longer than usual, so by the time we were all ready it was nearly eight o'clock, which was still an ungodly hour, in Gigi's words, especially for a Saturday morning. Starr was complaining that she wouldn't get enough time to eat and then let her food digest by the time she had to perform on the pitch.

I saw Jase sitting at the table with Brad and Teddy on either side; Nikki obviously hadn't been roused by her roommates as I had by mine. He looked up when he saw us coming and shoved Teddy over to let Victoire and I sit down between them. "Morning sunshine," he greeted.

"Ugh," I replied unintelligently. He chuckled and handed me what looked like a mug of scolding hot coffee. "Ooh yum," I said before taking my first cautious sip. The hot liquid slide down my throat and warmed the deep cockles within me and I could only 'mmm' in delight.

"Feeling better?" Jase asked as he took a bite of his toast. I noticed then that he too was wearing his Quidditch robes. His hair was pushed back, a sign that he hadn't bothered to brush it this morning save for running his fingers through it, and his eyes were alight with excitement that I envied. He truly did love his Quidditch.

I nodded, "Oh yeah."

"Toast?" he offered.

I wrinkled my nose, "Nah, not a toast morning. I feel like having me something sweet. Uh…" I looked around the table, "Ah-ha, gotcha." I reached over to a platter of cinnamon buns and Danishes.

"Ah," Jase said knowingly, "It's one of those mornings, is it?"

I took a bite of my fresh and still warm cinnamon bun, "Mhmm."

"Glad you could make it out this morning. I was wondering if Starr was gonna wake your little gang up getting ready this morning."

I swallowed, "Yeah, she did that on purpose." I glared across the table to where Starr was sitting beside Melody and Gigi. She simply shrugged and tried to look innocent; tried being the operative word here.

He nudged me playfully, "I'm glad all the same."

I looked up at him and saw his brilliant smile and my insides melted. He was so beautiful, even if I was technically still half-asleep. "Yeah? Me too."

He looked away and forked some scrambled eggs into his mouth. "Nikki is a great Quidditch player," he said in between mouthfuls. Instantly my mood evaporated.

"Yeah, I heard that," I said somberly. I really hope he didn't notice.

"She's planning on coming out for Chaser. I played with her a bit during the summer and she's not half-bad with a Quaffle. She said she's used to playing Keeper, less juggling of balls, etcetera, but she knew that position was Starr's."

"Damn right it is," Starr chimed in from across the table.

"Yeah, but she said she'd be there a little late. She's not really a morning riser, just like you," he nudged me again and I felt like I was going to be sick. Nikki this and Nikki that was getting on my nerves, and it wasn't anywhere near April yet.

We finished up our breakfast and headed out to the Quidditch pitch. Melody, Gigi, Victoire and I made our way up to the stands, while Starr, Brad, Teddy and Jase went down to the pitch with a gaggle of new recruits that ranged from second to seventh year.

Starr got up on her broom and did a once-around the pitch, whooping with glee the entire time. We all clapped for her enthusiastically even if we thought she was a little but nuts. She did a bow before taking on the first Chaser applicant, a second year who failed miserably unfortunately.

Jase was a fair captain and so he gave the newbies seven shots at the hoops. He made it an uneven number because then there couldn't be a tie anywhere. The first four newbies didn't get a single shot in, mostly because all of them were second years and didn't have the experience that warranted being on the team. Jase looked at everyone very carefully and finally when the third years started scoring one or two shots he nodded to them or gave them a "well done" before moving on.

Only one of the applicants for Chaser showed promise, a small fourth year girl named Emilie Bell. I could hear Jase talking to her as she was saying her mum, Katie Bell, had been a Chaser when she had gone to Hogwarts.

Beside me Victoire spoke up, "My Uncle George knows Katie Bell, they were on the Quidditch team together." I looked at her; her eyes had a placid glaze over them.

Her entire family had pretty much been on the Quidditch team thirty or more years ago. I knew all about it mostly because she had a really big family and her Uncle Harry was Teddy Lupin's godfather. I'd always heard Victoire speak so highly of Harry Potter and it pained me to know that Teddy's parents had been slain when he wasn't even a year old on the night when Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort. I'd even met him once, in my fifth year when Victoire had invited the four of us and Jase as well, over to a family reunion of sorts. They had a really big family. I saw some of the children around the castle every once in a while but I didn't really know them that well.

"Huh," was my only response to her.

We watched as the Beaters rolled out and Starr got a break from her goal-keeping. There were a lot of scrawny kids trying out, which I didn't really understand. If you were that tiny, why would you want to be a Beater on a Quidditch team? Those Bludgers came at you fast and if you weren't prepared, you could get knocked off your broom in a second, flat. I knew from personal experience from the one and only time I'd ever considered trying out, except I hadn't wanted to be a Beater. I was going for Chaser and someone had loosed a Bludger by mistake. I got knocked out of the air and fell twenty feet before landing on my ass and whacking my head off the ground. Dream over.

I saw Andy Lessure mount his broom and take off into the air. He was a pretty good looking guy with sandy blonde hair, standing at around six feet two inches with nice muscular arms. I think the reason that Starr wanted him on the team was because he was so gosh-darn handsome and she wouldn't mind spending some 'quality time' with him. But I wasn't sure. I made a mental note to ask her all about it later.

Andy flew around the pitch once, proving that any rumors about his flying crooked were all false, with the small bat used by the Beaters. I looked down and saw Alec Frost zoom into the air as Jase released the Bludger from the case. It zoomed around, came towards Alec and he batted it across to Andy. Andy had it all lined up and made contact with a nice THUD sound. They batted it back and forth for a little bit before Jase called it quits and they both descended. The Bludger made its way for Andy then and he caught it, not without some difficulty, and put it back in the case.

I looked at my wrist watch and saw that it was nearly nine thirty and the try-outs were almost over. The Hufflepuff house team was due out at nine thirty and Nikki still hadn't shown up. I was about to break into a full-out smile when I heard her familiar "Hell-ooo!" coming from the entrance to the pitch.

I had to squint my eyes to see what she was wearing; a crimson-coloured turtleneck sweater with a pair of skin-tight black leggings. The boots she was wearing were definitely not for playing Quidditch, but her hair was pulled back in a pony-tail and she was holding a broomstick.

Jase rushed over to her, conversed briefly and then called back over to Starr to get back up by the goal-hoops.

Nikki went up, raced around the pitch, Jase tossed her the Quaffle, which she caught, and she zoomed towards Starr and the goal-hoops. With a single evasive maneuver she had Starr out of the way and she scored in the far right hoop.

I heard the collective groan from my friends beside me. Nikki was good, I'd give her that. I looked down at Jase after she'd scored her second goal on Starr and he was staring up at her, his grin as wide as a Cheshire cat.

Shit!

Starr blocked three out of seven shots, which gave Nikki equal standings with Emilie Bell's score. Nikki landed and I watched as Jase hugged her and swung her around. Damnit, I wanted him to do that to me. I didn't see this ending well, not one bit.

"Well," Melody said from beside me, "she sure can fly."

"Hmph," Gigi grunted while squinted her eyes and flicked the air. The only conclusion for that was Gigi was imagining flicking Nikki's head off in her mind, which made me pretty proud. Gigi and I had always thought a lot alike for coming from totally different lifestyles.

"Come on," Victoire said getting up and moving towards the staircase that lead back down to the pitch. "It's Halloween, and I don't fancy watching the Hufflepuff try-outs."

"Yeah, it's Halloween," I agreed. "And the Wicked Witch of the West has got my best friend wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger. I can't even click my ruby slippers to make things go back to the way things were, WITHOUT her around."

I knew Victoire had no idea what I was talking about but the others chuckled slightly while shaking their heads. Melody spoke, "You don't know what you're capable of until you try."

Gigi merely went, "Mhmm."

I knew they were both right, but I still didn't see how I could win against this beautiful and athletic and sexy person without going to some dark and devious lengths. I didn't think I could buddy up to her. She had this protective barrier that Melody of course could see right through, and she kept giving me those looks, which meant she was up to something. Quidditch was just one more small victory that gave her another point on our little tally chart. I guess I would just have to resort to bringing up things that were totally Jase and I and totally unique that she didn't know anything about. There had to be tons of those.

We walked down the stairs and then back out the entrance of the Quidditch pitch and up the lawn towards the Castle. All the for-sure Quidditch team members went back to their dressing room to discuss the applicants. I knew Jase wouldn't make the decision until Monday probably so maybe I had a little time to wheedle my opinion in there and give Emilie the chance to beat out Nikki, if that was the way Jase's mind was leaning.

Back in the castle the four of us sat down in the Great Hall and waited for the others to return. I rubbed my eyes beneath my glasses and thought of how exhausting it was being in love. It wasn't until Vic spoke up beside me that I realized I'd actually thought it out loud.

"It's really not all that bad," she prompted.

"It's totally different when the man you're in love with doesn't love you back, you know?"

"Well, yes there is that," she conceded. "But I liked Teddy for a few months before he did anything about it."

"Oh a few months, well then that makes everything better," I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, I'll admit that a few years, that's different. Then finally deciding to do something and your man has someone else, that's very different. But I guess if you really love him then it makes everything worth it."

"What if," I thought out loud once again, on purpose this time, "after everything goes as planned, he still stays with her? Say I spill my guts to him, tell him I love him and everything, and he ducks and runs for cover, back into her arms? What if he's really in love with her and has always just had friendly feelings for me and nothing more?"

"That's a lot of 'what ifs'," Gigi said.

"You can't really know until you make things happen and ask him all of that and more. You'll never really know what's what until you make a few inquiries first," Victoire said.

"Stop looking at it so objectively," I grumbled.

"Fine," she said, "Let things happen, tell him how you feel and he will tell you if he feels the same way."

"And _if_ he doesn't?"

"Well then we'll kick his ass and make him believe he's in love with you," Gigi pointed out.

I laughed, "Yeah, I'll just bet you would."

"Hey," Melody nudged me in the side so that I would look at her, "you would do the same for any of us."

True, very true, I thought. I looked back towards the entrance to see the team coming in, Starr waving at us like an idiot. "Speaking of which," I said, "did you see how Starr leapt so enthusiastically when she mentioned Andy's name last night?"

"Mhmm," Melody said, glancing at our friend as she walked with the guys. She was currently the only female player because Kimmi had left, now with Emilie and Nikki in the running, she was going to try and level out the playing field, so to speak. I'll bet she just hoped that it wasn't Nikki. She'd probably throttle her by the end of the first practice.

But if Andy was on her mind then maybe there was hope for a few other things besides throttling the captain's girlfriend.

"Do you think…?" Gigi asked.

"I do," I replied.

"Do you think we should…?" Vic asked.

"Definitely," I smiled brightly. I cracked my knuckles out in front of me and said, "Let's do this."

Laughs went up around the table and I found myself set with a new sense of purpose. Now I wasn't going to focus solely on my love life, but I was going to start messing with someone else's. Sounds like fun. Happy Halloween.


	6. Bradley Coogan

**Chapter Six: Bradley Coogan **

Sunday afternoon turned out to be absolutely gorgeous outside. For the first of November it was entirely surprising but not unwelcome. The entire Gryffindor tower seemed to be outside somewhere doing something, whether it was reading a book (myself) tossing around a Quaffle (Jase, Starr, Teddy, Brad, Andy and Alec) or sitting on the grass and admiring everything in general (Gigi, Melody, Victoire and Nikki, unfortunately).

Last night had been okay. I hadn't gotten to talk to Jase as much as I had wanted, but then again no one really seemed to be having a heart-to-heart with the amount of food and alcohol in consumption. Somehow Brad and Teddy had stolen a few kegs of Firewhiskey from the kitchens, as well as stacks of leftovers from the feast, which was delicious as always. Everything got pretty tipsy, got really loud, and then it kind of collapsed, myself included. I had gone to sleep at around two in the morning and thankfully everyone else had seen fit to sleep late the next day.

The afternoon was deliriously beautiful, me with my book, looking up every once in a while to look at the group tossing the Quaffle. I mostly looked at Jase, but then there were a few glances at Starr and Andy who were buddying up to one another more than I had originally thought. I hope Starr didn't make this too easy because if things just went smoothly for her and Andy then I would be out of a job and go back to being miserable over Jase and Nikki.

I looked over at Nikki then who had her bug-eye sunglasses on lying out on a towel she'd brought down from her dorm room. She'd raised her top up over her midriff and she had rolled up her designer jeans to get as much of a tan as anyone could on the first of November. I shook my head, rolled my eyes, and went back to my book.

I'd finished at least seven books leisurely since the first of September, currently on my eighth, which I was enjoying immensely.

"What are ya reading now?" Jase came over to sit beside me while everyone took a break from toss. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his forearm, which I didn't imagine really did anything, but it was still nice to look at. Jase was handsome no matter what condition.

"_Kellerman's Whales,_" I said, "by _Judith Garner_."

He took the book from me, holding my place as he read the back cover. "Sounds really boring actually," he admitted, handing it back to me.

"That's because there isn't any action in it, right?"

"Maybe." He smiled sheepishly at me. "No reader deserves to go through seven hundred pages of zero action or mystery."

"You're such a guy."

He leaned back on the grass beside me, propping his head up as he crossed his arms behind him. "Through and through, Graham. Tell me more about it," he closed his eyes to enjoy the sunshine.

"Kellerman is a marine zoologist who goes on expedition over the Arctic icecap in order to study the Orca whales. She and her assistant go up with a small crew on a boat and actually get stranded on the icecap by a serious ice-flow, and with limited supplies they have to ration their resources as well as trying to document their findings. But when surrounded by ice they can't really see what's underneath it. I'm actually at a part where Kellerman has fallen into the water and an ice chunk has floated over top of her. She's quickly running out of air and Jerry, her assistant is trying to hack at the chunk with an ice pick."

"Huh," Jase said thoughtfully. "Sounds interesting actually. Wonder why I didn't get that from the back."

"Because the back is objectively boring, which I've never really understood."

"That would be it. Funny name for a girl though, Kellerman."

"It's her last name, _Eaven_. Her first name is Amelia."

"Whoa, no wonder she uses her last name. I'd hate to have a name like Amelia."

"What's wrong with Amelia?"

"It's old-fashioned and floozy."

"Floozy? You are so weird. What if I told you Jason was old-fashioned and floozy?"

"Then you'd be wrong. Jason is charming and mature. Just like your name isn't old-fashioned and floozy. Allyson is smart and attractive."

"Attractive?" I choked. He was calling me attractive?

"Sure," he said, sitting up beside me again. He looked me and then smiled, "No one can pull off an attractive Allyson like you, Alls." With that he got up and walked over to where Nikki was lying on the ground.

Okay so he'd called me attractive, big whoop, and then he'd walked over to his hot girlfriend and plopped down beside her on his side to give her a disgusting kiss, disgusting only because of who is girlfriend was. I loved being reduced to a cliché and then passed over for another equally cliché stereotype.

"That guy is a jerk," Starr said coming over to sit beside me.

"Ya think?" I replied. "Does he not see that I'm falling all over myself in love with him?"

"Guess not," Starr replied. "It wouldn't hurt for you to try a little different tactic though, instead of just being his best friend all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're acting buddy-buddy with him while his sex-kitten over there is not doing anything of the sort. She's make you jealous and you're sitting there and taking it like a wimp without even the courage to fight back a bit."

I looked at Nikki and Jase who were now curled around each other on the grass talking. I was really jealous of her. "How can I fight back?"

"Make him jealous," Starr suggested. "Give him a reason to look at you twice. Like last weekend when you told us about _Rina's,_ and he had to look twice at you when you came out of the dressing room. This," she picked up my book, "is the old you, the buddy-buddy you. Why not come and play toss with us and cuddle up to one of the guys."

"Oh, I don't know," I replied looking across the grass to where Andy, Alec, Brad and Teddy were sitting. Alec had a girlfriend, Andy was unofficially Starr's and Teddy was Victoire's. That left Brad who always seemed so afraid of me.

"Brad isn't that bad once you get to know him," Starr said, following my general direction and coming to the same conclusion I had. "He's just afraid of you now because of back in third year and you produced the Reducto spell right off the bat and destroyed the bookcase."

"Is that really it?" I said totally flabbergasted. "I haven't done anything that dangerous in four years and he's still scared shitless of me."

"I suppose so." Starr stood up again, "So how about it? Coming or not?"

"It seems like lying and I'll probably regret it, but it's worth a shot," I said, putting my book down and standing up to walk with Starr back towards the others.

"Hey guys, new meat," Starr gestured to me and I almost turned on my heels and walked the other way with that introduction.

Teddy looked up and squinted at me through the sun, "Graham. We're not playing with broomsticks today. You can't fall off the ground."

"Oh ha, ha, Teddy," I replied, putting my hand on my hip. "Let's see if you're laughing when I Quaffle you in the face."

"Like you could," Teddy said, rising to the challenge.

The others got up as well and Brad handed me the Quaffle. I smiled sweetly at him, which seemed to make him break out in a cold sweat right then and there. I looked down at the burgundy ball in my hands and repeated in my head '_what have I gotten myself into?'_ before coming up with a brilliant idea. "Actually," I said, "Let's play keep away. Or monkey in the middle so to speak. Pass this ball to Teddy and I'll reduce you to a pile of dust. Teddy, _try_ and catch this."

Laughter went up around the circle as Teddy crossed his arms and huffed, still he loved a challenge. Brad seemed to get the message and I knew he wasn't going to cross me. Alec and Andy high-fived beside each other and I knew they were on board. Starr winked at me and then I tossed the Quaffle high into the air and on its way down I punched it in Alec's direction.

This went on for a good ten minutes before Teddy got really pissed and nearly pulled out his wand to make the Quaffle zoom to him. Now I've never really been very athletic, obviously, and I knew my arms and legs were going to be killing me later, but I was having lots of fun playing Keep-Away from Teddy. He really was a jerk sometimes, and though I was forced to tolerate him because of my dear Victoire, it didn't stop me from yanking him around for a while.

The Quaffle found its way to my hands once again and I did a quick shuffle before chucking it straight at Teddy's face. It made contact with a THUNK and Teddy was knocked clean off his feet and fell on his ass.

Roars of laughter went up all around us, from those in the circle and spectators who had been watching the little game. All the girls, except Victoire of course, were holding their gut they were laughing so hard. I looked and saw Jase was even pointing and laughing at Teddy. Victoire looked rather shocked and I knew I would hear about it later if I didn't go over and try to make amends with the angry Teddy who was still on his ass. I walked through the circle and held my hand out to him, "I'm sorry Teddy. You pretty much did dare me though. I didn't mean anything by it. I hope you can forgive me."

The disgruntled Teddy looked at me and before putting his hand in mine and I heaved him to his feet. "It's alright," he grumbled. "I did goad you on. So I guess I deserved it."

"Mhmm, and if you don't mind, could you stop bringing up my falling off my broom. That's starting to get really old."

"Deal," he said before giving me half a smile and walking over to Victoire who crooned and cawed over the small cut on his forehead. I'd still hear something from her later, but at least Teddy wasn't upset at me anymore.

"You're a piece of work, you know that?" Brad said, coming up beside me as we walked back to the little patch of grass where everyone was resting.

"It speaks," I said with a smile on my face, teasing him.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I guess I have been pretty skittish around you, haven't I?"

"More than a little," I pointed out. "You pale and break out into a cold sweat every time you see me."

"Yeah, well, reducing a bookcase, full of books, is really scary, especially coming from a girl who has this thing for books of all shapes and sizes. It kinda made me think about how you could reduce me to a pile of sawdust if I ever got on your bad side."

I shook my head, "Brad, Brad, Brad. I don't turn on my friends. Even if they turn my life upside-down." I looked thoughtfully over at Jase who was watching us talk. He'd turned my life upside-down hadn't he? Yet still I pined over him because I knew that he could very well be the only person that could make me feel like I was floating on Cloud Nine.

"Guess I know that now," Brad concluded as we sat down again and I grabbed my book. "Hey, _Kellerman's Whales_, great book eh?"

I frowned at him, "You've read _Kellerman's Whales_?"

"Sure," he said, "I was given it for my last birthday."

"I did not know that," I replied.

"Course not," he smiled, his face instantly turning from pale and scared to bright and cheery and very handsome. "You also don't know that Judith Garner is my aunt, on my Dad's side."

"Whoa, that is seriously cool," I said excitedly.

"Mhmm. Aunt Judy always makes a point at giving me some book or another for my birthday. _Kellerman's_ just happened to be her last one. She's got another one coming out too, called _The Bukavu Jungles_."

"Sounds exciting, what's it about?"

"Eighteenth century explorers who make their way from inland Mali down the western coast of Africa and then directly into the Congo jungle."

"Wow. How does your Aunt come up with these ideas?"

Brad shrugged, "She travels a lot. For _Kellerman's_ she actually spent some time with the Inuit, learning the tricks of their trade in order to get a better idea of what she actually wanted to write. This next one finds her coming right off a research expedition from South and Central Africa."

"That is fascinating," I smiled eagerly at Brad. Starr was right; he really wasn't that bad once I got to know him. I found myself hoping that this newfound friendship with Brad would lead to many places.

I looked across the lawn to where Jase and Nikki were still curled in each other's arms and I frowned enviously. "You know, you shouldn't pay any mind to them," Brad said, bringing me out of my reverie. "You focus too much on Jason and Nikki. I can practically smell your hair burning whenever you see them."

I laughed, "Really?"

"Yep." He sat back and leaned on his elbows. "You should focus a little more on you and yours rather than them and theirs. Don't look at me like that Allie, you know it's true," he laughed.

"That's easy for you to say. Jase has been my best friend for seven years."

"Yeah, and he's had several girlfriends before Nikki and probably will have several after her. What makes you so ticked off about it now?"

"Last year nostalgia?" I suggested.

"Nope, not buying it," Brad said. "But I'll figure it out sooner or later."

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"Because you and I are going to get to know one another," he said, matter-of-factly. "Now that I'm done being afraid of you."

"Is that so?" I said, narrowing my eyes dangerously in his direction. For an instant I saw the colour in his face pale. I laughed, "Chill out, Coogan. I'm only joking. Sure we can get to know one another. We already know we have equally decent taste in books. What else do we know?"

"That you are a very devious individual with cute eyes," he said off-handedly.

"Cute eyes?" I said, almost blushing at the compliment.

"Mhmm, behind those green-rimmed glasses and those devious looks you get sometimes, those brown eyes are very cute. Especially when you're angry."

"Well…um…thanks, I think."

Brad smiled, "You're welcome."

One word came to my mind: weird.

"I thought you said that you hated Brad?" Jase said as we were walking up to our dorm rooms that night. Everyone had been totally tuckered out from our afternoon outside that calling it a night at ten thirty seemed to be the general consensus. Jase and I had been one of the few people remaining in the common room, including all his dorm buddies who were intent on finishing their game of Wizard's Chess, which meant that Jase's dorm room was empty.

"When did I say that?" I replied as he opened the door and we walked into the guy's dorm. I was hit by the overwhelming smell of sweat and overpowering cologne as well as a nice musky and woody smell that guys seemed to drag wherever they went.

"You said it last year. You said, 'I hate it when Brad looks at me like that', and in girl-speak that means 'I hate Brad'." He walked over to his bed and plopped down on it to remove his shoes.

I sat down on his trunk at the foot of his bed. "What? Girl-speak, what are you talking about? I never directly said I hated Brad. He just always gave me those weird looks, which had a reason behind them as I found out today, and it gave me the impression that he hated me. Not vice versa."

"Well you never told me that," Jase said. He yanked off his sweater and then grabbed his pajama pants from under his pillow and then huffed to the bathroom. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was actually seriously annoyed that I had had a conversation with Brad. Jase had always been the only boy I ever talked to. We told each other everything, and this moment I'd had with Brad seemed to seriously cheese him off.

He came back in and I had moved from his trunk to sitting cross-legged at the end of his bed. His blue-plaid pajamas matched his old t-shirt that I'm sure he would rip off as soon as I left. Guys usually didn't wear shirts to bed. It was a weird guy thing.

He fiddled with his pillows to make himself a backrest and then sat down at the other end of the bed. He still had a frown on his face. "What's wrong, Jase?" I asked.

"What? Nothing. Just Quidditch is all," he said distractedly.

"Liar," I returned. "I can see right through that fog you're setting up around you, my friend. We've known each other for too long now to lie to one another. Now spill."

"It's just I know Brad better than you do. He's a damn good Seeker, and if he sees something he likes he goes after it. You guys seemed to be getting pretty cozy there today and I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Aww," I said, "that's so sweet."

"Shut up," he said as he couldn't help but smile. "Seriously Allie, Brad's got a one-track mind. If he likes you for serious then he's not gonna stop."

"And you're saying this because?" I wanted to wheedle it out of him. I wanted to hear him say the words.

He bit his lip a few more seconds before responding. "Because you've never had a serious relationship before and I care about you and your feelings."

I didn't want to seem too eager, but hearing him say that made my stomach flutter and my cheeks flush. I had to bite back the urge to hurl myself into his arms and hold him tight. Instead I picked honesty followed by a light comment. "Well thanks, Jase that means a lot to me. But just think about it? If I get my heart broken I can come crying to you and we'll be even."

He rolled his eyes and leaned over to shove me. "It's just like you to say something like that. Please, just listen to me: Brad may end up seriously liking you and…"

He stopped abruptly. "And what?"

"And he's been known to treat his girls bad, despite the sweet beginnings."

"Huh," I hadn't heard that before. The only other girl that I'd seen with Brad was Jasmine Hillkirk. She was a year ahead of us and graduated last year, but Jasmine and Brad had been together for almost a year and I'd never heard any complaints from her and it had ended mutually from what the girls had told me. "Well, thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to come straight to you if things get rough. But you know I can handle myself pretty well."

He nodded, "I know."

Things got silent for a while, and it was one of those awkward silences that were few and far between with Jase and me. I had to break the silence, it was becoming daunting, so I said, "So, what are you going to do about you're new Quidditch players?"

Jase seemed thankful at the change of subject and immediately jumped on the question. "Well I'm pretty sure Andy has Beater sewn up in the bag, so we don't need to worry about that. He was the most impressive of all the newbies, so I'm gonna give him the position hands-down. And for Chaser it's a tie between Emilie Bell and Nikki."

"Yeah, I saw that. Nikki is pretty good. We gotta get her a new pair of boots to play in though."

He chuckled, "Yeah we were talking about that before she tried-out. Her reasoning was that they were the only things that looked good with the leggings. She said her sneakers made her feet look too big."

"Oh is that all?" I joked.

"Yeah well, boots can be dealt with. It's the rest of the gang I'm worried about. Emilie was pretty adamant about being on the team. I mean her mum played with Teddy's godfather on the team way back when, and all the rest of the team is pushing towards her. But Nikki is pretty good and all have admitted it."

"And she's your girlfriend and will be pissy if she doesn't take seniority over Emilie?"

It seemed I'd hit the nail on the head because Jase grimaced and tipped his head up to the ceiling. "You don't think there's a chance they'll both accept and trade for games?"

I laughed, "Jase, come on, it doesn't work like that."

"I know. It was just a thought. Emilie's good, and she's in her fourth year, which means she's got a pretty good shot at being captain next year because the rest of us will be leaving."

"Yeah, I hadn't thought of that," I agreed. Teddy, Starr, Alec, Brad and Jase were all seventh years, stacked with years of experience, and they all graduated this year. If Jase picked Nikki, then the team would have to start from scratch, but if he picked Emilie then with a year experience under her belt, she could pick a new team that might play out the following year.

"I think I'll pick Emilie," Jase conceded, as if reading my thoughts. "She'll be here next year and Nikki won't, just like the rest of us. Plus she'll get good experience playing on a team made up of seventh years with at least three years experience, minus Andy of course, who's only ever played with his older brothers at home."

"I think that's a good decision, Jase."

"Yeah, but that means a shit-fit with Nikki." He didn't look like he was looking forward to that one.

"Every relationship has its bumps here and there," I told him, trying not to sound too excited about it.

"She usually gets what she wants though, and as her boyfriend I sometimes feel compelled to give it to her."

I scratched my head, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Jase, but doesn't that seem a little miserable?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, you're probably right. But she makes up for it in other qualities that I really adore."

I wanted to bite my fist. "Well she's just going to have to suck it up because if your minds made up, Emilie's the new Chaser and next year's captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"Guess so."


	7. Fights and Flights

**Chapter Seven: Fights and Flights**

The next morning I woke up to high pitch screams from the next room, and I managed to hear every single word that emitted from the shrill individual, namely Nikki, as she bitched at Jase for his decision to pick Emilie over her as Chaser.

"What do you mean you can't pick me?" she trilled.

"I just can't. You're a seventh year, like the rest of us. Emilie is in fourth year, which gives her the task next year of putting together a whole new team. I can't leave absolutely no one behind, it's unethical."

"Unethical? What about me? Am I not good enough for you?"

"Nikki, I didn't say that. Did I say that? NO! I said I can't pick you, not that you're not good enough. Of course you're good enough."

"That's not what I keep getting from you. You pass me over for pretty much everything and everyone; Quidditch, your friends, Allie of course. How could you live without Allie 'fricking' Graham?"

By now the rest of my room mates had woken up and were listening in on the fight as well.

Jase seemed to loose his temper. "You leave Allie out of this! She's been in my life far longer than you have, and she's done nothing to you!"

"Oh, of course, why didn't I see it? Allie put this into your head didn't she? She said pick 'Emilie the fourth year' instead of 'Nikki the Australian bitch!'"

My jaw dropped and I shook my head at my friends, who all seemed to have the same reaction. Starr and Gigi both slammed their fists into their open hands as way of saying they were going to kill her.

That seemed to tip the scale because Jase roared at Nikki. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN! ALLIE IS MY FRIEND! DEAL WITH IT!"

Nikki seemed to scream right back at him. "IT'S HER YOU LOVE ISN'T IT? YOU'VE NEVER LOVED ME!"

Silence.

More silence.

There was no more fighting, only muffled sounds again and I couldn't hear what they were saying, which severely pissed me off. I wanted to know what happened. There wasn't any slamming of doors or stomping of feet. Jase didn't burst into my dorm and sweep me into his arms kissing me passionately either, which could only mean one thing: he was apologizing like a good boyfriend and they were probably going to kiss and make up all morning.

I fell back onto my bed and tried to smother myself with my pillow. I seriously considered screaming but that didn't seem like it would make me feel any better. Instead I sobbed a few times before pulling the pillow back and raking my fingers through my hair.

"That guy is too nice for his own good," I heard Melody say.

"Yep." Jase had always been too nice. He'd always been the good guy and he had always been the one to get walked all over in a relationship. I didn't have enough fingers on my hands to count the number of times he'd be crushed by some girl who had gotten fed up with his sweet and kindhearted nature. It stopped when I hit my second toe, but that seemed like twelve girls too many. I hadn't realized until the last one just how many bitchy girls there were at Hogwarts.

I wanted to be the one girl who didn't walk over him. I would take care of him, as I had always done, and we would be good for one another. I wouldn't blackmail him into doing things for me. I wouldn't pout when I was upset in order to make him feel guilty. I wouldn't abuse our friendship to get him to love me.

"Victoire," I said out loud.

"Hmm, yeah?"

I shut one eye, "I need an outfit for today. Please. Nothing too frilly, but maybe a nice pair of pants and a top with zero frills that definitely is not pink."

I could hear the smile in her voice, "Sure, I think I have just the thing."

After getting dressed in Vic's chosen outfit I had to admit she had a gift. She picked out a pair of snug-fitting jeans that hugged the backs of my legs and accentuated what little ass I had. The top she'd given me was also very flattering in a nice pale blue that did a sort of swoopy dip at the neckline with the extra material there. She also gave me a navy blue short sleeved throw-over that had zero buttons, no zippers, and I didn't have to pull it over my head.

"You look great," Gigi said as she tugged on her hooker boots and laced them up.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's too bad I have to put this over top of it all." I gestured towards my school robe that I was required to wear.

"So, you can take it off when classes are over, which is likely when Jason is going to be coming up for air," Starr tried to joke, but then grimaced when she heard what she'd said.

"Ugh, don't remind me, please."

"Screw him!" Melody said angrily.

"I wish," I mumbled.

"Allie!" they all scolded me.

"You're right. I'm shutting up now."

We finished dressing and we walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

As I entered each class that day I groaned when I found that both Jase and Nikki were absent. It wasn't until lunch that they decided to grace us with their presence. Nikki was clinging to Jase's arm and looking disgustingly sweet up at him through dreamy eyes. Jase likewise had a cocky grin on his face that made me bend my spoon to a ninety degree angle, which Gigi found amusing.

That afternoon I had double Potions followed by Transfiguration before it was finally over. Nikki finally left Jase's side when she went off to Astronomy and Jase came to Transfiguration with me. Even then though he didn't say much other than 'Good job' when I turned my top-hat into a medium-sized cat and then 'Shit' when his top-hat just became furry with wide cat-eyes and sprouted a tail. Professor Alcott awarded me five points and gave Jase a disapproving look.

I'd decided at lunch to meet everyone after classes in the library and Jase said he'd meet me there after he found Nikki.

I walked into the library and found the gang hunkered down already with books and papers and quills scattered here and there. Victoire looked up from beside Teddy as I walked down the aisle towards them. She winked at me, which was weird for her, but I got the message. I took off my robes and stuffed it in my bag after I'd taken out my books and assignments. I sat down beside Brad and Starr who were deep in a Defense Against the Dark Arts discussion.

"No way," Brad was saying.

Starr nodded her head, "Look it up in your textbook. Professor Gage told us all about it this morning. Weren't you listening?"

"Uh…"

I popped into the conversation, "He was drooling on his textbook this morning. Didn't you see him? I doubt he absorbed anything from that class, right Brad?" I shoved him gently.

He looked extremely guilty and Starr and I merely laughed at him. "I don't usually listen to Gage," he tried to defend himself. "I don't see why you two do."

"Four reasons," Starr chimed. "One: Professor Gage is a really good Defense teacher. Two: he has had lots of experience…"

"Three: he will give us good grades if we pay attention. And four: he's a totally dreamboat," I finished for her.

"Right girls?" Starr said to Gigi, Melody and Victoire who were sitting around the table.

"Right," they responded in unison before we all pretended to melt into our homework over our dreamboat professor.

"Ugh, girls," Andy rolled his eyes from the other side of Starr.

"Yep," I said proudly. "Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em…"

"…even if they crush on sexy older men," Starr finished for me.

"You're life would be dull without us, admit it?" Gigi said.

"You'd cry through the night wishing life was more exciting and that we girls were around, right?" Melody continued.

"Yes, you're right," Brad said. "You pain in the asses would definitely be missed, if only you'd come back and do our homework for us."

"Sure, Brad, I'll do your homework for you," Gigi said and grabbed the blank parchment that was going to be his Herbology essay, and wrote: _Brad thinks girls rock and his life would be incomplete without them, Love Gigi, _in big flowery writing that covered the entire twelve inches of parchment.

"Hey!" Brad complained as he snatched the paper back.

"Hey can I sign that?" I asked as I took the paper from his hands. I signed in big letters as well with my signature 'heart' over the 'i' in my name, and then turned to Starr, "You wanna sign?"

"Oh why not?" she signed her name.

"Ooh me, me!" Melody laughed from across the table. Starr rolled it up and tossed it to her and Melody said, "'Melody Barrows'" and she bent over and kissed the parchment beside where she'd signed leaving a nice bright red lipstick lip mark.

She handed it over to Victoire who was giggling so hard that she almost spilled her ink bottle all over the paper if Teddy hadn't caught it. Beside her name I saw her draw a big smiley face.

It made the rounds back to where I was sitting without anymore signatures and I shoved it in front of Brad's face, "This, it has to go on your wall for the rest of the year."

I gave it to him and he looked at it forlornly, as if we'd killed his best friend. "If I fail this paper because of you girls I am never going to forgive you." Just then he smiled brightly and we all laughed our heads off.

"Here Brad, you can have some of my parchment, no charge," I told him.

"Gee thanks, you're the best!" he said batting his eyelashes at me ridiculously, which made everyone snicker. I nudged him gently.

"What's so funny?" Jase asked as he walked up hand-in-hand with Nikki 'the Australian Bitch' as she'd dubbed herself this morning.

"Your face," Teddy said and the snickering continued.

"Oh that was funny, Lupin," Jase said shoving Teddy lightly.

Jase and Nikki sat down beside Teddy and the mood dampened slightly when Nikki started whimpering things in Jase's ear. None of what she was saying was distinguishable but as I looked up from my Transfiguration reading that Jase hadn't bothered to get out I saw a look in his eyes that cut me to the core. He was getting aroused by whatever Nikki was saying and I had to look away or else I was going to run away from the table crying.

I looked at Brad who was intent on his essay but then looked up and winked at me. He'd gotten halfway down the page, which was pretty decent considering he'd started maybe fifteen minutes ago. He was a very studious guy.

He frowned as if noticing something was wrong. I shook my head trying to indicate it was nothing, but somehow he could tell I was lying because he gave me a look that told me he didn't believe me. He leaned over then and whispered, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

I was so thankful at the suggestion that I nearly jumped up from the table. I didn't say anything to the girls but they each nodded their heads in understanding. It was like we all had this telepathic knowledge of what each other needed. It was great. I left my books and stuff at the table and Brad and I walked down the aisle, out of the library and then finally out of the castle.

We didn't say anything until we were wandering the grounds. I realized then that I'd left my robe in the library and after yesterday's uncommonly warm weather a November chill had flown in. I actually shivered.

"Idiot," Brad seemed to mumble before shucking out of his Hogwarts robe to place it around my shoulders.

"I am an idiot, am I?" I said as I curled into the robe.

"No, not you, me," he said.

"What about you?"

"I didn't think to mention your robe inside. Suppose it was my selfish want to keep looking at that outfit of yours."

I laughed, "Or your motives to offer your own robe to me instead, as a gentlemanly thing to do."

"Or that," he smiled.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets he shivered slightly, despite the fact that he was wearing a sweater and I wasn't, not really. "But now you're cold."

"I'm fine," he said.

"You don't look fine to me."

"Perhaps not," he said. "Maybe I could put my arm around you then?"

I remembered what Jase had said the previous night and took my time answering him. If Brad really did like me I didn't wanna lead him on because I was really in love with Jase. I didn't want to ruin a budding friendship with Brad after I rejected his romantic intentions, if that's what he intended. So I said carefully, "In the spirit of being cold, you can, but don't go getting any ideas."

"Hey," Brad held up his hands in defeat, "just friends, remember."

I nodded, "Just friends."

But the way he put his arm around me was anything but friendly. It was more than that. Sure it was warmer, which I was thankful for, and I think he was too because he stopped shivering.

"Feels good to get out of there, eh?" Brad said as we continued to walk.

"Yeah, you have no idea."

"Oh I've got some ideas."

"Have you now? Will you tell me about them?"

"Sure, don't see why not. I think you're jealous."

I stopped and he let go of me. "Jealous? How do you mean?"

"You're jealous and also irritated that Jase brought home his girl and it's gotten in the way of your friendship. Isn't that it?"

I had a few moments of relief when I realized he didn't know I was in love with Jase. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Uh-uh, and you're girl friends can't replace that which you have lost, right?"

I wasn't going to stop him from getting it all wrong. I liked Brad, sure, but he wasn't Jase and he wasn't my confidant and if he really did like me then it wouldn't do any good to tell him the truth. It would just hurt him and it would also have an outsider know my secret and that wasn't a good idea either. So instead I stayed silent and nodded.

"Well I have another idea about that," he continued. "Maybe you need a new guy friend? A new best friend?"

New best friend? Now that was going too far. "Listen, Brad," I said, handing his robe back to him, "I appreciate everything, really, but I'm not looking for a new best friend. Jase has always been and probably always will be my best friend. So thanks, but no thanks."

I started to walk back to the castle and was just inside the castle doors when Brad caught me. "Well then, what about something else?"

"Something else?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah, why not a boyfriend instead?" He leaned over and planted a kiss smack dab on my lips. I was three things all at the same time: surprised, oh hell yes I was surprised; angry, this was not supposed to happen; and worried/anxious, because what if someone saw this? I didn't know if I'd be able to explain it to anyone who just witnessed it. I was too shocked to push Brad away despite how I really wanted to, so when he finally stopped kissing me I did the only thing I could think of; I ran.

I ran all the way to Gryffindor Tower, through the common room startling a lot of people, and right into my dorm room.

I slammed the door shut and crumpled to the floor both from physical exhaustion and for fear that Brad had chased me. I didn't think he had though, which left me breathing heavily and gasping for air.

"Allie?"

My eyes popped open and I saw that I wasn't alone in the room. Everyone was there except Victoire. They must have come up shortly after I'd left the library with Brad. Melody who was closest to me was the one who'd spoken. "Are you okay?" she asked.

I nodded once but then decided that was wrong and started shaking my head.

"What happened?" Gigi asked looking down at me.

I gulped and slowly air filled my lungs. I looked at each of them; Starr, Gigi and Melody before answering. "Brad just kissed me."

"Whoa!" Starr said plopping down on Melody's bed.

"Whoa is right," Melody agreed sitting beside Starr.

"Up you get," Gigi said, bending down and offering me her hands. I took them and stood shakily. We went and sat on Gigi's bed, which was right beside Melody's. "Tell us what happened, Alls."

I looked around at them again and then asked, "Where's Victoire?" I didn't really want to have to go through it a second time.

"Oh, down in the common room. I'll go get her."

"No need, I'm here," Victoire came in the room and shut the door and locked it. "I saw you come running through without Brad. The guys were all having a hoot about it downstairs so I thought I'd best come up and see what was wrong. Did what I think happen really happen?"

"If you mean did Brad kiss me happen then yes, you're right."

"That's what I thought. Tell us everything."

And so I did. I told them every little detail. And when I finished and Melody handed me a tissue I realized that I had tears streaming down my cheeks.

"It doesn't seem that bad, not in retrospect," Gigi said, her hand on my back trying to calm me. "But then because you're not in love or even in serious like with Brad it does seem rather awful. You can't even get to like him better because you've got your heart set on another."

"Poor Brad," I sobbed. "I didn't want to hurt him, honest. And I can't tell him about Jase because he's Jase's friend and he'd probably tell Jase all about my being in love with him. I can't have that either. Now I'm going to have to avoid him. Oh, God, how did this happen so fast? We just started talking yesterday!"

"Teddy said that Brad's been thinking about asking you out for a while actually," Victoire said quietly.

"And you couldn't have told me that before?"

"I didn't find out about it until today!"

"Oh," I sniffled. I lay back on Gigi's bed to see if the tears would stay in my eyes that way. "Shit, shit, shit!" I said.

"How many days until Christmas break, Victoire?" Starr asked.

"Um…45 or 46, why?"

"Because I have an idea, and telling you guys now will give you a chance to get things in motion. I was thinking about having you guys all over to the break, would that be cool?"

There were murmured agreements from everyone but me. It did sound pretty good and I smiled at the thought, but right now I didn't have the heart to say anything. Instead I just nodded. That seemed to suffice because Starr jumped up and hugged me enthusiastically, "Oh this is great. I was thinking about it and I didn't know how or when to bring it up, and this seemed as good a time as any."

"It sounds great," I said, giving her a half-hearted smile.

"Hey," she said. "We'll figure this out, I promise. When we put our heads together we can figure anything out."

I had faith that they would stick with me until the very end. I had no doubts whatsoever about that. I did however, doubt my stick-to in this when all I really wanted was to fall over and crawl under a rock for the next five months.


	8. Matchmaking

**Chapter Eight: Matchmaking**

November came with frustration on many levels. First there was homework and the unkind professors who just kept piling on the assignments and the fact that there were never enough hours in the day to do it all, so we were creating hours of our own, like umpteen hour, which fell between two and three am when we could somehow do more work than in hours two and three.

Secondly, even after I had run away from Brad, he seemed ever persistent about dating me. He would find excuses to walk me back from the library or come and see me after a Quidditch practice that the girls and I had watched. It seemed everywhere I went Brad was there, his incredible smile and his face not the least bit paling at the sight of me now. Instead his smile brightened and he would corner me every chance he could get. I couldn't go anywhere alone anymore, which the girls understood quite well. They were all on my side, but there were times when I couldn't be with anyone and no one could be with me and those were the times I feared the most.

And thirdly and most unfortunately, Nikki and Jase were more in love than ever. It twisted my gut every time I saw them coming down the stairs hand-in-hand. The way he would look at her and the way she would look at him, always before she would waggle her eyebrows at me of course, made me want to throw myself across the room and throttle the living daylights out of her. What had she done that deserved his attention? She'd dazzled him over the two short months during the summer and somehow he'd fallen all over himself to get to her. Was it really that simple? Did a girl really have to put herself out there like that to get noticed? I had spent seven years with Jase, two of them I knew I was absolutely in love with him and still he took no notice.

Ugh, it almost seemed like a never ending circle of events. I'd be doing homework when Brad would appear and I would run away from Brad and end up in the common room where Jase and Nikki would be making out or cuddling on the couch and I almost made myself believe that Brad was better than that. But I just couldn't, Brad had turned our friendship into a game of hide-and-seek and it pissed the hell outta me that he was the one seeking, and I, who had never done anything to provoke him or give him the impression that I was looking for a boyfriend, was forced to hide every single day.

It seemed my only consolation these days was the ever growing prospect of Starr and Andy. After the first Quidditch match in the middle of November and even after practices, I saw the way Starr was bumbling all over herself, not a usual quality for the brawny and brass Miss Morgan. She would bat her eyelashes at him and would have to repeat a sentence a couple of time before she got it out right. It was so amusing and I felt so happy for her.

This is where the girls and I came in, our little matchmaking team was out to net Starr and Andy and we would not fail. I'd seen my friends go through boyfriends before and we'd all been there to comfort each other through the heartbreak and heartache and even the fiery moments when one of them would rant and rage over how pig-headed and useless their now ex-boyfriend had been. Ah yes, many a night had been passed with Kleenex, tears, the breaking of several memorable items from the relationship as well as lots and lots of chocolate for everyone.

I awoke one morning in late November to the sounds of silence, which was very uncommon for our dorm room, especially in the mornings. I grabbed my glasses off the side table and looked over to see that Starr, the morning rouser and the noisiest of us all, was gone. I looked at my watch on the table and it said seven o'clock. Starr must've really taken an effort to stay quiet.

"Psst," I said. "Hey, Starr's gone. Where'd she go?"

There were a few mumbling noises, but it was time to get up anyways so everyone complied. When they saw Starr's empty, AND MADE, bed, they looked utterly shocked.

"Maybe she was kidnapped," Gigi joked. "And then the kidnapper made her bed."

"Right, genius, and none of us heard it? Shit she must've been like a ghost walking around here," Melody said.

I hopped out and bent over to look underneath her bed. "Aha, it is as I suspected. No broomstick."

"Which could only mean she's at the pitch. Maybe there was a practice she didn't tell us about," Vic suggested as she pulled back her covers and stretched sleepily.

"Jase would never have a practice before eight in the morning. I know him, please, this is something totally different."

Gigi went over to the window that faced the Quidditch pitch. It was some distance away but it was close enough that she said, "Yep, I can see someone flying around. Two someone's actually."

"Ooh, two someone's. An early morning Quidditch pitch date, do you suppose?" Melody said.

"Maybe," I conceded, "But why didn't she tell us about it?"

"She was probably embarrassed," Gigi said as she strolled into the bathroom.

"But we're her friends. She's had other boyfriend before and told us. Why would she be embarrassed now?" Vic asked rummaging through her trunk for clothes to wear today.

"I dunno," I replied, doing the same, "But we are so going to find out."

Melody was looking out the window again, "Ah here they come. Looks like Starr and Andy alright, and they look pretty buddy-buddy, but not overly romantic. When is Starr going to learn to be romantic?"

"Quidditch buzzards never learn to be romantic." Gigi came back out of the bathroom with make-up applied and hair done in its usual spikiness.

"Are you calling Teddy a buzzard?" I asked going into the bathroom.

Gigi looked back at me and winked, "Maybe."

"Teddy is not a buzzard!" Victoire defended as she brushed her hair. "And I'll have you know he's very romantic. And a great kisser." She sighed lightly and we all rolled our eyes at her.

"Being a great kisser doesn't mean anything," Melody continued as she opened her trunk. "It just means that you have some practice. _I _happen to be a great kisser."

"That's 'cause you've kissed every boy in our year except for Jase and Teddy," I said sticking my head out of the bathroom with my toothbrush in my mouth.

Melody looked at me pointedly, "Who says I haven't?"

"Teddy's been with Victoire for two years, Jase and I have been friends for seven, and you weren't good at kissing until last year when you dated Chase Hamilton," I jabbed my toothbrush at her and then disappeared to spit out the mouthful of toothpaste.

"Chase Hamilton is a damn fine boy and his lips are magical," Melody was saying as I walked back out of the bathroom. "Gigi knows what I'm talking about, right?"

Gigi laughed as she was pulling her tank-top over her head, "Damn right. Best game of Spin-The-Bottle I have ever played." She smiled like an idiot as her head disappeared underneath the sweater she was wearing today.

"And besides," Vic said still hanging on to the 'Teddy is a buzzard' statement, "by saying Quidditch buzzards can't be romantic you are also saying Jase can't be romantic."

"True," Gigi allowed, "But he's the exception. And there's a difference between a romantic and a sap. Teddy is a sap. What's his nickname for you again?"

"Vicky-wicky," we all said in unison, which managed to chase Victoire into the bathroom and slam the door behind her.

Just then Starr walked in looking exhausted and sweaty, "Oh good, you're up."

"Yes, and so are you it seems," I said.

"Yeah, Andy wanted a little one-on-one out on the pitch. As Keeper I was obliged to go."

"Andy's a Beater, Starr," Melody said. "That doesn't make sense."

Starr opened her mouth once and then shut it. "I need a shower," she finally said tugging off her Quidditch robes. She was avoiding us.

"Vic's in there," Gigi told her. "And we're going to back you into a corner until you tell us what's up with you and Andy."

"Nothing's up with me and Andy. We're just friends who are on the same Quidditch team."

"Not buying it," I held up my hand and then pointed at her. "You had best get your story straight, missy, because we can see right through you."

"And we know that you love avoiding things," Melody added. "So tell."

"There's nothing to tell," Starr tried to say. She looked utterly hopeless and for the first time she looked a little bit lost, almost as if she didn't know what she thought or what was happening. Vic came out at that moment though and Starr disappeared into the bathroom.

"Do you think we were wrong?" Gigi asked looking over to the bathroom door as the shower started up.

I shook my head, "No way, she's totally in like with him. Maybe she just needs a little help. We gotta talk to Andy."

"On it," Vic said. "He's usually hanging around Teddy and I can always ask him. I'll go down to the common room now and see if he's there." She left.

"How can she not know if she likes him?" Melody asked confused as she grabbed her school books. "I mean all the signs are there."

"The eyelashes, the mixed-up sentences, the early morning Quidditch pitch practices, the jumping at every chance to talk about him in a conversation," Gigi listed as she also grabbed her books.

"I know, I know," I admitted. Everything was there, but Starr just wasn't seeing it herself. She wasn't usually this thickheaded when it came to guys. "She's in denial," I decided. "She just needs a little nudge is all. I don't want to sneak around her back, but we're going to have to pull something out of the hat in order to get things in motion. We'll talk at lunch to see what Vic finds out from Andy."

"Deal," they replied.

"Andy said very little when I asked him about Starr. He just said that they were friends, just like what Starr was saying this morning, right?" Vic said as we huddled around the table at lunchtime. "But, what I didn't get from him, I got from Teddy and Alec. They keep saying the same thing about Andy as we're saying about Starr. They obviously like each other, a lot; they just can't bring themselves to see it."

"Oh that's a tricky one," Melody said as she took a helping of the toss salad. "How do we convince two people that they're in love when neither of them knows it?"

"Give them several opportunities," Gigi suggested as if reading my mind. "Throw them together without them really knowing and see what happens. If nothing happens then we're gonna have to go to something drastic."

"Like what?" Vic asked.

"Like one of us throwing ourselves at Andy or getting one of the guys to hit on Starr," I said, surprising even myself that I could think of something like that. Starr had put it into my head the day we spent outside playing toss with the Quaffle and now it was ingrained into my very being. "Jealousy is a powerful thing," I mumbled.

"Ooh, I know exactly who to throw at Starr seen as how we can't use Alec, Teddy or Jase, or even Brad," Melody squealed.

"Why not Brad?" I said.

"Because he'll never go for it if he's so in like with you, duh."

"Oh right, who then?"

"Chase Hamilton."

"No way, do you think he'll go for it?"

"Sure, why not? He's a great actor, and he's totally to die for."

"He might ask for some kind of payment though, don't ya think?"

"He'll do it if he wants to keep his pretty little face in one piece," Gigi said stabbing a potato on her plate.

I giggled, "That'll work. But this is only drastic. We have to see what develops in the meantime. When's the next trip to Hogsmeade?"

"Next weekend," Vic replied.

"Great, perfect for some devious actions. We'll have to get the guys in on it though. Do you think we can manage it?"

"And why ever not?" Gigi looked offended.

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah," Melody agreed as she drowned her salad in dressing. She was weird. "We've got skills. There's nothing saying that it won't work."

"Ooh, this is exciting," Victoire said as she wiggled in her seat.

"Okay, then at least we're all on the same page."

"Same page of what?"

We spun around/looked up from our little grouping and saw Starr standing there looking extremely curious. I was at a loss for words and I thanked Merlin that Gigi spoke up immediately. "Same page of our Charms textbook for notes. Professor Nettles gave us more at the end of class."

There was a hurried agreement from the rest of us; thank God Starr had Ancient Runes before lunch and not Charms like the rest of us. She had it directly after lunch.

"Oh," she said before sitting down. "Lucky me then because I still haven't gotten my essay done for that class, all I need is more notes."

We all bit our tongues or started playing with our food guiltily because we knew Nettles didn't hand out anymore notes and Starr was going to find that out right after lunch. It was a good thing that Victoire and Melody had Muggle Studies and Gigi and I had Potions so we wouldn't have to hear about it until Herbology last period.

By Herbology though everyone was fretting too much about the amount of homework given for that day that I don't even recall Starr telling us she didn't get any more notes in Charms. We all went to the library after class and I must say, being in the warm greenhouses and then going outside into what happened to be a snow storm really, really sucked. We were all shaking snow off our robes and out of our hair as we walked down towards the table where we usually sat.

Jase and Nikki were already there, along with Andy, Brad and Teddy.

There were twelve spaces at the table. The four on the far side from us were taken up by Jase and Nikki with a free chair in between them and Alec who happened to be sitting on a corner beside Teddy while Brad took up the other corner directly across from Teddy. Andy was sitting across from Jase on the empty side. Gigi sat between Brad and Andy on the corner while I sat beside Andy, Melody beside me and Starr beside her. Victoire took up the other vacant chair beside Teddy, across from where Gigi was sitting, leaving only one space empty in between Nikki and Alec. It had worked out surprisingly perfect.

Melody and I nodded at each other, both of us knowing in our heads what the other was planning, just because it was the perfect set up. I got out my Potions essay and Melody pulled out her Muggle Studies assignment questions. We sat there for a few minutes before I caught Gigi's eye and winked and Melody caught Victoire's and winked.

I gave an exaggerated sigh and set down my quill. "Well I'm not getting anywhere."

"What is it?" Gigi asked me feigning innocence as if she didn't know what I was talking about.

"This Potions essay is ticking me off."

"I'm almost done mine; let me see if I can help."

"Oh would you? That'd be great." I looked at Andy sweetly, "Would you mind switching places so that I can sit beside Gigi?"

"Sure, no problem," he replied and we started shifting our work.

I sat down on the corner side and Gigi and I put our heads together to pretend like we were discussing the Potions essay. Then Melody went through a similar act, except hers was much more subtle, being the drama enthusiast, and asked to switch places with Starr, who agreed most graciously. I saw then as Andy tugged on the collar of his shirt and Starr spread out her work before 'accidentally' bumping into Andy's arm. I say accidentally because afterwards she blushed so deep I thought her head might pop off. How she did not see how much she liked this guy was totally beyond me.

Our studious group worked for almost a half hour before we got restless and started goofing around. The guys had decided that it would be a good time to start a burping contest and the girls ultimately ended up judging the contest until Starr and Gigi started in, Melody following close after and the even wheedled one out of me, which ended up and the piddle-y end of the scoring scale. The only two who refused to join in were Nikki and Victoire because Nikki was too much of a priss to do anything fun and Victoire because she was too lady-like to get involved in that kind of thing. Her mother had apparently raised her to be a lady. Victoire was laughing whole-heartedly at the others however whereas Nikki just huffed and even got upset when Jase scored at 9.8/10 on his belch.

Jase tried explaining to her that it was all in the name of fun and she mumbled, "It's disgusting."

Starr and Gigi just burst out laughing at the comment and Brad let another one loose.

Finally the librarian came and found us all roaring with laughter and hissed something about how we were making too much noise, which admittedly we were, and that we had to either leave or be quiet.

We sat there snickering for a few minutes before Alec decided to give up and disappeared, giving a final hoot as he left, which got the rest of us kicked out.

I was walking beside Melody back to the common room when I noticed up ahead that Starr and Andy were walking together, completely unaware that everyone else had fallen behind. I nodded my head to Melody and we separated gathering the others and telling them to follow us instead of heading back to the common room. Nikki said that she didn't want to have anything to do with what we were up to, and we didn't stop her from leaving. Jase came however.

It was time to put things in motion for real.

We found an empty classroom and all sat either on a desk or chair. When everyone was inside Jase asked, "What's going on?"

"We need your help," Gigi said first.

"They want to set up Andy and Starr," Teddy explained as he pulled Victoire down onto his lap.

"Uh, yeah, and we're doing a pretty good job already, aren't we? I mean they probably have no idea we all just disappeared."

"I was wondering what Melody and Allie were doing in the library," Jase chuckled. "It looked really weird. Oddly coordinated."

"Yes well that was only our first shot," I explained. "We need everyone's cooperation in order to make this work. I know Starr and Andy will suspect something, but maybe if they do they'll see it wasn't all for nothing."

"Wait, they don't know they like each other?" Brad said holding his hand up.

"That would be correct."

"But it's so obvious," he said.

"You're telling us!" Victoire put in. "Seems our friends don't think so though. 'Just friends' is the story they're sticking to."

"That's kind of funny," Jase said. "So you girls have taken it upon yourselves to push 'em together?"

"That's the idea," Gigi finished.

I looked around at the guys expectantly. They hadn't given us their thumbs up, but because they were better friends with Andy than we were it would be so great to have them on our side. "So?" I prodded.

"Hell, I'm in," Teddy said. "Andy's moping is getting on my nerves. If this fixes it I am totally up for it." Victoire leaned over and kissed on loudly on the cheek.

Jase chuckled again, "You girls had better have a plan."

"Of course we do," I said cheerily. "We are all over this. We've even thought out to where drastic measures come in."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" he asked.

"Chase Hamilton," Melody said. "And myself, I'm volunteering." Victoire, Gigi and I all gawked at her. That was news to us. "What?"

Gigi narrowed her eyes at Melody, "You have ulterior motives, don't you?"

"Well duh," Melody said, putting her hands on her hips, "But I'll tell you that later." She winked at me. Oh boy.

"Chase Hamilton?" Teddy said looking confused.

"Yeah, can you say 'jealous'?" Gigi said.

"Ah," Teddy finally understood.

I looked around, "So that's two out of three, Brad, are you in?" I looked at him and his eyes snapped up to look at me. There was something calculating about his glare and it scared the shit out of me.

"I'm in." He paused. "On one condition."

"What condition?" I asked.

"Say you'll go out on a date with me next weekend."

Several things went through my mind. I was afraid, I was angry, I was humiliated, and I was totally not going to commit to anything more than a casual outing with Brad Coogan.

He was staring me down, daring me to say no. I couldn't say no because if Brad wasn't helping then that meant he could potentially be against this, which was bad for Andy and Starr. I glanced momentarily at Gigi who must've been thinking the exact same thing as me because she shrugged her head as if saying 'you gotta do it'.

I found Jase's eyes then and he was giving me the same calculating glare that Brad had given me moments before, trying to figure out what I was going to say. His eyes left mine and narrowed in on Brad who was sitting there still calmly waiting for an answer. I could see the vein in his neck pulsing and I wondered briefly if it was because he didn't want me to get hurt or if he was feeling jealous. I ruled out jealousy unfortunately because he had a sex-kitten upstairs in the common room waiting for him. He was just being the concerned best friend, which I really, really hated.

I met Brad's eyes and cleared my throat. Time to take the plunge. "Alright."


	9. Blackmail

**Chapter Nine: Blackmail **

"Deep breaths, come on, just keep 'em coming." Melody was coaching me because if she didn't I felt like I was going to hyperventilate and faint all on purpose.

"I just really don't want to do this."

She snapped her fingers in my face. "Hey, sacrifices must be made. For the good of the group, one afternoon with him isn't going to kill you."

"Wanna bet."

"Allie!" She actually stomped her foot. "You love Starr, right?"

"Of course."

"And you want her to be happy, right?"

"Right."

"Well then shove it! One afternoon with Brad Coogan doesn't mean you don't love Jase anymore, and it certainly doesn't mean that you have to keep dating Brad. It's one date, and you're doing it out of the kindness of your heart for your friend."

She raised her eyebrow at me as if daring me to deny everything she just said. But she was right. "You're right. It's not a lifetime, I am still committed to Jase, he is still the one I love, and this means Brad won't blab to either Starr or Andy what we're up to." I took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, I'm good."

"Good," Melody nodded. The others had already gone down to the common room to start laying the groundwork for today's 'Andy and Starr, Part II' matchmaking plans. Melody had stayed behind like a good friend because she knew that if she didn't I would probably find some reason to delay, which of course had crossed my mind more than once. She got my head working again though.

She went over to the door and opened it to find Jase standing there with his hand raised to knock. "Hi Jason," Melody greeted, giving him her biggest actress smile, "what can I do for you?"

"Uh, hi Melody, I was hoping to talk to Allie before she left."

"Talk away." She moved past him and then looked back at me pointedly, "Five minutes, missy."

"Yeah, yeah!" I waved my hand at her. Turning to Jase I asked, "What's up?"

He moved past me to go sit on what he knew was my bed. He looked like he was chewing over something in his mind and didn't know how to either swallow it or spit it out. Personally I wanted him to spit it out because he looked seriously worried and that could mean he was still concerned about me. If he swallowed it though I was going to have to force it out of him, which wouldn't be fun. "Um…" he said.

"Um…?"

"Allie, we've been friends for a long time, right?"

I went over and sat down beside him. "Yes, seven years is a long time."

"Well, I just…I mean I know you can handle yourself but…I mean if there was ever anything you…we tell each other everything…and I…oh I'm making a mess of this," he bumbled.

I smiled, "Yeah, you kinda are. It's okay though. Don't listen to Melody. Five minutes is tentative."

"It's not the time limit, you ninny," he said, nudging me in the arm. I was glad to see him smiling again. "It's the subject matter."

"Well, like you said, we tell each other everything, so tell. Whatever you've got, just tell me."

He took a deep breath, "If Brad does anything to hurt you, you come to me please, and I'm going to rip his limbs off one by one, so help me God."

Whoa! I had never seen this side of Jase. He wasn't a violent guy, except on the Quidditch pitch, but then it was just aggressive behavior, especially against Slytherin. But here and now he actually had his fists balled so tight I could see the whites of his knuckles and his forehead was creased like crazy in frustration. Any second now I felt like he was going to jump up and punch clean through one of the posts on my bed.

I didn't know what else I could do that didn't seem really corny, so I leaned over, rested my head on his shoulder and took one of his fists in my hands. I felt him stiffen instantly, which almost made me cringe, but it was only for a second and then he relaxed again. "You're a good guy, Jase," I told him. I looked up then and met his eyes that had softened considerably. "I promise, if anything happens between Brad and me, I will tell you. Ok?"

He kept staring into my eyes, his face inches away from mine. It would have been the perfect moment to kiss him, and I was seriously thinking about it except for the fact that I was on my way out on a date with Brad and Nikki was probably waiting downstairs for Jase. Still we stared at each other for a long time and, call me crazy, but I swear he was lowering his head closer and closer to mine. "Allie," he whispered.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. "Allie, Jase, hurry up. Stop taking forever," Melody bellowed through the door.

Immediately we almost jumped apart. I bit my lip hard to stop me from cursing and saying, 'Come back, kiss me', but it was too late. Jase was already on his feet and had grabbed my scarf from the where it was hanging by the woodstove. He handed it to me. "I stand by what I said, Allie," he said trying to sound as normal as possible, but I could tell he was still choked up from that moment we had had before. "You come to me and I'll pummel him into the ground."

I shook my head smiling. Jase could be so cute when he was being protective. "Deal," I said swinging the scarf around my head and catching the hat Jase tossed at me. Stuffing it on my head I picked up my mittens as we walked by the stove and headed out the dorm room door.

The plan was to tell Starr and Andy to be at the Three Broomsticks for three o'clock, when the rest of us weren't actually going to show up until four thirty or so. We'd all worked over our alibi's and motives etcetera so that when we did show up they wouldn't really suspect that we'd set them up, even though we had. Teddy and Victoire were going to Madam Puddifoots. Gigi and Melody were going to bide their time in Dervish and Banges, although I had no idea how. Alec was off with his girlfriend, Tracy Bloom who was in Hufflepuff, and Jase was going to occupy Nikki for a lengthy amount of time doing God knows what. Brad and I were reserved to wander up and down High Street window shopping. Our story was that we got caught up in Honeydukes, which was our last stop of the day.

Despite my earlier fears about going on this 'date' with Brad, so far he'd managed to play it pretty casual. I was dreading the moment when his hand would graze mine and then on his way back he'd grab it and try to hold hands with me. I was also dreading the moment when he might kiss me again, which I definitely didn't want.

He picked a safe topic at least. Books. It seemed as though he'd read everything I'd ever read and everything I'd ever wanted to read.

"Most of them I have at home, but I have a few dozen in my trunk that you can borrow if you like," he was saying.

"Yeah, that'd be great. How is it that you fell in love with books?" I asked.

"Oh that one's easy. My dad is a book editor, my mom's the head honcho of a big time publishing company in London, my aunt is a writer and all my cousins have gone to university and college for something relating to literature. Then there's my sister who works for the Daily Prophet."

"Whoa, that's a lot of literature."

"Yep. So I guess you could say I was born into it and I've never really know anything else. Books are my life; I just don't show that side of myself at school. Seeing as how both my parents are muggles, my sister and I are the only witch and wizard in the family, which everyone is pretty cool about, I just don't display my 'shelf life' so to speak to everyone. But for as long as I can remember I've gotten books for Christmas and Birthdays and even just any old day of the week if my Aunt Judy drops by for a visit."

"My dad and I are the only wizard and witch in our family too. He's an archeologist and has always given me ancient books for my birthdays and at Christmas but my Auntie Barb, my dad's sister, is a journalist for the Tribune in London, which could explain a little bit more. And I think the only thing my Grandparents ever wrote were letters to one another during the Second World War."

"What's your dad's name?"

"Timothy. Timothy Alexander Graham, the bravest and jolliest man I know."

"Bravest? How come?"

And I launched into the tale of how back when I was twelve and home for Christmas my dad had taken me to Egypt on a dig and how one of the tunnels had collapsed while they were working. My dad had told me to stay put and of course I was clutching my wand tightly thinking if I was needed I could help now because I'd gone to Hogwarts. Just one year at the time, but it was more than before and I was really frightened. My dad had gone around to the cave in, a couple of people had roped him down and he shifted through the rocks and gravel to rescue the three diggers who had been caught in the collapse. My dad became my hero that day. He didn't give a hoot about the artifacts he was digging and how they'd have to re-dig everything they'd just uncovered. He was just worried about the people underneath, muggles who were working under secrecy with the Ministry of Magic, and my dad just jumped into action. He'd always been that guy though, the one who never thought of himself and always thought of others.

"Your dad sounds like a champ," Brad commented.

"Yeah, he's a great man."

"What about your mum?"

For the first time in the conversation I felt my teeth grinding. I never talked about my mother. I never thought about her either. I didn't want to get into that now. "I don't have a mum."

"But you must've had at some time, right?"

"Look, she left us, end of story. I don't ever want to talk about it again." And I stomped off in a senseless direction. I had no idea where I was going, but I wanted to get away from him and away from the conversation.

I found a bench just off High Street that was close to the path to head back to the castle and I plopped my butt down. I could hear the crunching of snow from behind me and I knew that Brad had followed me. I had expected he would. He sat down beside me and didn't say anything for a few moments.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," he finally said.

"I know you didn't. It was bound to come up. I just don't like to talk about it," I said looking down at the white snow, refusing to look at him.

He reached over and grabbed my hand in my lap and my muscles tightened in defense but I guess he couldn't feel that. He squeezed it gently, "Case closed then. We can talk about something else."

"Thanks," was all I could think of saying. I knew that relief should have washed over me because he'd let the subject drop, but he hadn't let go of my hand yet and I was still very wary of that. I couldn't let this go on. I didn't want to keep up this pretense. I looked up and he was smiling when our eyes met. There was no spark, no recognition like when I looked at Jase. It was different and I didn't want different. I wanted Jase. "Listen Brad—"

I was silenced when his hand brushed over my lips. Shit! "Don't say anything," he said as he brought his mouth down to cover mine. Double shit!

Unlike the other day when I was totally shocked and couldn't move a limb to save my life, today I saw this coming. I had expected this, just like a lot of other things that I'd predicted would ruin this date for me and well, I guess for Brad too. I moved my hands up and shoved him away from me, hard; so hard that he fell off the bench and onto the snow.

I looked down at him and he looked pretty shocked, but not as shocked as the face I saw when I looked up. There were two faces, one shocked and dismayed and one smiling gleefully. Looks like Jase and Nikki had chosen right then to come around the corner and see us kissing. Lovely, I thought.

Nikki clapped her mitten-clad hands before turning to see Jase's face, which was stuck in perpetual shock. "Come on, Jase," she whined, grabbing his arm and trying to drag him away. "Let's leave the two lovebirds to their play."

Play? Did it look like either of us was having fun? I don't think so! What was Nikki playing at? Wasn't Jase going to come over and, like, kill Brad or something? It sure looked like he wanted to.

Nikki continued to whine. Finally Jase allowed himself to be dragged away and I felt an ice cold shiver go down my spine that had nothing to do with the weather as he gave me one last look over his shoulder. He was walking away? He said he had my back, he was supposed to be my friend. Where was he going? The look he gave me pierced right through me and I felt short of breath. He and Nikki disappeared and I was left there with Brad again. I felt the cold stab of betrayal from Jase's departure and my guard immediately went up as Brad hefted himself to his feet.

He sat down again beside me and was silent for a long time. He kept giving me sideways glances that told me he was deep in thought and trying to figure out what next to do. But none of these glances told me he was going to give up and leave me alone. None of the looks I was getting were friendly.

"Okay," he finally said. "Today didn't go as planned. But that doesn't change anything. If you want to help out Starr and Andy then you have to play along."

"What?" I yelled.

"You heard me Allie. If you want them to live happily ever after you have to give me your word that you will be my girlfriend for as long as I want."

"Why?" I said breathless again.

"Because it's what I want."

"That's not an answer," I growled, getting very, very angry.

"It's my answer, whether you like it or not. And telling Jase or your friends is out of the question. If you do I will know."

A resounding 'How?' went through my mind but I didn't say anything. "So you're blackmailing me into being your girlfriend, for what? To see me suffer, to have me bend to your will, what?"

"All of the above I guess. So are you going to be selfish and give up your friend's happiness for your own or are you going to see this through?"

A big resounding 'NO!' filled through my head and I felt nauseous for a split second. There was something about Brad that had totally flipped in my mind. He'd gone from being afraid of me to using me in little under a month. Who was this guy?

But then there was something about Starr and Andy and if I let this slide they might really have a shot at love, which I really wanted for Starr. I'd never seen her like this and I doubted that Brad had seen Andy act that way either. I really cared about my friend, and I would do anything for her.

Would I fake a relationship with Brad when I was really in love with Jase though? What would happen after it all ended and Jase wanted to know what was going on? I couldn't tell him about it now or else he would definitely go after Brad…or would he? He'd just walked away from me when I was clearly at Brad's mercy, and still was. Jase had gone with Nikki and left me hanging, a thing he'd never done to any of his friends let alone me, his best friend. How much could I count on Jase to forgive me after Brad had his way with me?

Oh even the sound of it made me want to hurl. I wouldn't give in though. If I got past the whole blackmailing thing, and the whole 'I'm in love with Jase' thing, then dating Brad wasn't so bad. But those were both big things. But I guess because I'd die for any one of my friends, including Jase despite the cold shoulder, I had to do this. For Starr's sake, I would make this sacrifice. I was definitely telling my other friends though. No way was Brad gagging me out of that privilege.

"Well?" Brad prompted.

"Fine," I said none too friendly.

"Excellent. So, you're a smart girl after all. And being a smart girl means you know better than to squeal." He wished, I thought. "So hows about sealing it with a kiss, the one you just cost me?"

My stomach did a back-flip and not in the good way either. It was more like a 'shit, this guy plays dirty' kind of back-flip and I was totally turned off by it. I had to give in though.

My silence must've signaled my compliance to him because he grabbed my head and mashed his lips to mine. I was a straight and as stiff as a board, which Brad apparently didn't like because then he bit my lip. "Ahh!" I cried out.

"You have to put in your share Allie or else there's no deal. When I kiss you, you kiss back, deal."

"Fine," I ground out and he kissed me again, if you could call it that. And instead of being still like before, or shocked, I was totally pissed. I was kissing Brad, totally against my will and he seemed to be enjoying it when I really just wanted to run away again and go cry in some dark corner. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

"Mmm," Brad finally murmured after he'd stopped kissing me. "You know, for a bookworm, you're a really good kisser. Even if you are mad at me."

"Fuck you!" I said before standing up and walking away. He caught up and grabbed my hand though pulling me back. He forced his arm around me and we walked towards the Three Broomsticks. I was helpless to do anything.

We walked into the familiar pub and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach doubling over and when I saw the rest of the gang over at a large table Brad pinched me in the side, "Smile, or else," he said through clenched teeth.

I smiled. I didn't want to smile, and it probably didn't look at all authentic, but I smiled nonetheless.

We walked over and sat down while Brad gave the group our apologies. Gigi and Melody were giving me questioning looks and I tried to give them an 'I'll tell ya later' look back but I didn't know how well that one turned out because I was fuming. They could probably see sparks shooting out of my ears I was so pissed off.

I saw Starr and Andy though and they seemed content. Starr was smiling as she sat beside Andy and vice versa. I really hoped that all this was worth it. They were perfect for each other and I just had this feeling that they would see it, they just needed time. This time while I was suffering I hoped to God that they were flourishing in some way. I managed a truly authentic smile for Starr.

I was so jittery when Jase and Nikki walked in, mostly because of what they'd both witnessed as well as because Brad had put his arm across the back of my chair and was slightly holding onto my other arm. He looked relaxed at least. He gave Jase a big cheery smile. I tried to decipher the look on Jase's face. He might've been upset or content or neutral or happy as a clown for all I could tell. The problem with figuring him out was the fact that he wouldn't actually meet my gaze. The one person who I wanted to talk to, to tell everything, to ask what was wrong, to spill my guts to, was the one person who I was forced to stay cut off from. That was partly because of my own stupid and pitiful actions. But mostly because he wouldn't even look at me.


	10. December Heartbreak

**Chapter Ten: December Heartbreak **

My friends took the news of Brad's blackmailing considerably well.

"I'm going to rip his eyeballs out!" Gigi said immediately rushing towards the door.

I ran to catch her before she touched the doorknob. "No! You can't. He said I couldn't tell you and by telling you I'm going against that. If you attack him he'll spill the beans about Starr and Andy."

"Don't you think that this is all a little drastic?" Melody said sitting on her bed. "I mean yes, we all love Starr, but Allie, you're posing as his girlfriend against your will. There are limits to these kinds of things you know."

"I love Starr, and I know we've all see it; she and Andy are perfect for each other. If they knew what was going on then they would a) never forgive us; b) probably never see what we see and; c) I am not willing to give that up. I care for her too much. We all do. It just means I have to pull a little more of the weight."

"A little more?" Gigi growled. "Extortion isn't just a little more. That goes to a whole other Quidditch pitch. Why would you agree? What about Jase?"

I grumbled. "Yeah well, I'm not so sure about Jase anymore."

"What? Why?" Melody said.

"Because he saw Brad and I kissing. If anything, _that _should have triggered any jealous recesses in his system and he should have snapped. Instead he let Nikki drag him away. He left me sitting there with Brad, who I'd just pushed to the ground."

"I'll bet you ten-to-one that he would not have done that if Nikki hadn't been there to persuade him," Gigi said. "Which is why you just can't give up; you can't give up on Jase, Alls."

"And I don't want to," I said going over to my bed and plopping down on it. "I want Jase more now than I ever did before. Being back with him is the best thing that could've happened to me, especially after the summer of not being able to see one another. I want Jase to see me for me and I don't want to have to resort to complications to get him, but what else can I do? I'll bet he'll just run and hide."

"You do not know that!" Melody snapped. "Gosh Allie, you've dug yourself a really deep hole. It's going to take a whole lot of explaining when you finally decide to come clean."

"No shit!"

"I still want to rip his eyes out!" Gigi said. "And I want to smack you around for agreeing to this sick and twisted game with Brad. Ugh, Brad, did you ever suspect that one?"

"I sure didn't," Victoire spoke up from her bed finally. She'd been very quiet since I'd spilled my guts. "I mean, Brad Coogan, wasn't he afraid of you?" she said standing abruptly and began pacing, a very un-Victoire-like thing to do.

"That's what everyone thought. I guess not so much after all."

"There must be some explanation. He would never do this without cause," Victoire tried to justify.

"Or he could just be a hormone-driver teenager who thinks I'm fair game because I haven't got a boyfriend and I'm in a very vulnerable situation," I suggested. It seemed logical to me.

"No, that's not it. That can't be it. I mean I saw him with Jasmine countless times and he was never harsh or violent or even this manipulative. He always gave her what she wanted and he was really sweet about it. There has to be an alternative solution to what he's doing to you," Victoire continued as she paced around the room.

"I agree with Vic," Gigi said moving back over to her bed. "This isn't Brad."

"Ugh, I don't know anymore. Frankly I don't care at this moment. I am going to go to bed now, I have a major headache and I am hoping that you guys have my back on this where Jase fell short."

They all muttered their agreements and I changed out of my day clothes and into my pajamas. I crawled into bed and grabbed my book but was too upset that I turned out my light.

I fell asleep immediately.

The dream that snuck up on me startled me out of my skin just like the snake in my dream that shed its skin to reveal (I was totally freaked out now) Nikki. She slithered out of the snake skin and stood seamlessly as if she hadn't just been gliding across the floor in a copper-colored snake skin. I watched her as she walked towards me in my dream. Her hair that had been her cobra hood was flared and fire-like, her eyes were slits with red irises and when she opened her mouth to speak to me, instead of words, a forked tongue hissed at me and fangs descended from her perfect canine teeth.

Instead of walking up to me though, she walked past me and as I turned I saw Jase there, stretched out on a couch, lazily reading a book. But when he looked up and looked directly at me, our eyes met, he set the book down and started unbuttoning his shirt.

I started walking towards him instinctively but he started to hiss violently as he shucked his shirt and stood. Then I saw Nikki glide up and over the back of couch where Jase had been sitting and she looked positively evil. The red eyes reminded me of glowing embers from a dying fire. With a final hiss Jase turned from me and stretched himself out overtop of Nikki. They kissed. He looked back up at me and I saw his eyes go from their beautiful blue to the same glowing red as Nikki's.

I couldn't bear to watch any longer so I turned from the sight. I was startled when I found Brad standing directly behind me. He didn't have glowing eyes or fangs. He looked the same as he always did, his handsome face and sharp green eyes, and he looked at me with such tenderness that it made me want to cry. He reached up and stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. He leaned forward and kissed me delicately on the forehead, like a butterfly's wings touching my skin, and then as he looked forlornly over my shoulder to where I knew Nikki and Jase were, he evaporated whispering two words to the wind that scattered his image. "I'm sorry."

I woke up with a start.

I was in my bed.

Everyone else around me, including Starr who must've come upstairs after I'd fallen asleep, was in their beds, some snoring and some curled in little balls under their blankets. It was just a dream, I told myself. It was just a scary dream that seemed freakishly real. But as I closed my eyes again I was not haunted by Jase's blue-turned-red eyes or even Brad's sad face. I could clearly see Nikki however, but she didn't frighten me as much as my best friend or even Brad did. Nikki could be taken out, distinguished and trampled on so she went back to Australia with her tail between her legs. It was Jase and Brad I had to live with afterwards.

If things went back to the way they were, could Jase still find it in his heart to love me as I wanted him to? And if that happened, what would Brad's reaction be?

Two questions I dreaded the answers to, yet I wanted to know those answers more than I had ever wanted anything before.

December could be summed up in a single word: miserable. Not only was the homework load consistently unbearable, but also, for the first time in almost seven years, Jase was avoiding me.

I would go up to talk to him and he would greet me, say hello, whatever, and then find some excuse, which usually had something to do with Nikki, and leave me standing there with my pants down, so to speak. I wanted to give him a right good smack across the face, but that wouldn't get me anywhere I figured. I concluded that for a few reasons.

Firstly, and I could tell because I am a girl, because I knew Brad didn't like it when I talked to Jase, even in passing. And although I didn't care what he thought most of the time and usually ignored him except when he found it necessary to pinch me or so on, I did pay attention to him because of the threatening looks he would give me. He was using this blackmail to the fullest potential and although he hadn't gotten me to give up my sense of decency, he was definitely pushing for it.

And secondly, the girls were being more reserved around me, all except Starr, who didn't know what was going on really. I'd discussed Brad to her and she still thought I was the one using him to make Jase jealous. And because Jase got tight-lipped and white-knuckled whenever Brad made a move towards me, Starr assumed it was working. She was surprised that even after kissing Brad that Jase hadn't done anything, but she'd let it go. But the other girls were being silent when I came into the room, which indicated that they had probably been talking about me before I'd walked in and that was never a good sign.

Our 'Starr and Andy Matchmaking' had come to a slow-down as well.

They'd at least discussed that strategy with me beforehand. The way they figured it, Brad was just biding his time before he had something else to use against me, i.e. more 'Starr and Andy' co-hooting. Therefore, Melody and Gigi had come up with this one, if the four of us backed off for a while, then Brad would have less of a solid footing to manipulate me into doing something really against my will, like getting me to have sex with him, which I was really freaked about.

So, on tentative ground, the girls and I were tip-toeing around the subject of when we were going to give Starr and Andy their next 'opportunity' to realize they loved each other.

I was thankful for that at the very least. But everything else was starting to get even more intolerable, like the homework and Jase's avoidance.

I got a letter/package from my dad in the middle of December though and that significantly brightened that day…for about an hour or so.

_Dear Allie,_ he wrote:

_How is school? I'm sorry that I haven't gotten around to writing before this. I know how great it is to get things in the mail when you're sitting with all your friends at the Gryffindor table. How I miss Hogwarts. I really should have gone back to teach there, except they don't have an Archeology course there. They must think it's too much of a muggle profession, despite the fact that the Ministry of Magic condones and funds a lot of our digs._

_Anyway, I just got home from a dig in the northern part of Wales. That technically wasn't a dig though because it's mostly rocks and green rolling hills if you'll remember from when we were there a few years ago. It was more like a deep and cavernous tunnel inside this giant green mountain I guess you could call it. Inside we found a beautifully preserved chest, magically preserved of course, but we haven't been able to get inside it yet. We hauled it back to the museum for further studies and testing before we crack out our wands and try and get inside. I don't know about you, but ancient gold and gems sounds pretty good to me. But if there are old documents inside I will be just as thrilled._

_I know this isn't a very long letter, but I'm meeting Bernie at the museum in about an hour and I still have to change out of my pjs. _

_Oh and have you made any decision about Christmas yet? Short notice, I know, but I know you said at the beginning of school that you and your friends might go somewhere or do something. Let me know and say hello to all your friends for me._

_Love you honey,_

_Dad_

_P.S. I got the car alright on September 1__st__. I also found what's enclosed in the box on the backseat. It looked important. Sorry I took so long to send it to you. Dad._

Melody read the letter over my shoulder at the breakfast table. "You're dad is so cool," she said after we'd both finished.

"Yeah," I agreed as I folded the letter and replaced it in the envelope. I stared down at the still-wrapped package and knew what was inside. I'd made it up over the summer for Jase. It was his Christmas present.

"How is 'ole Timmy?" Gigi asked from across the table.

I laughed. Gigi had always called my dad, Timmy, and it didn't seem to bother him a bit. It was still rather strange though, and awkward. "He's good. Says hi to all of you."

"Oh, well that's sweet of him," Starr chirped from beside Gigi. "Is he still growing that hideous mustache that he had last summer?"

"No," I chuckled, "thankfully he decided it wasn't his thing. He was then thinking about a goatee, but I talked him out of it."

"Way to go you," Melody said. "He looks better clean-shaven anyways."

"I keep telling him that," I said, spooning some rice-pudding onto my plate. "But he's convinced that facial hair makes a man. When I get home I'll have to give him a haircut as well because he will not have cut it since I left."

"Oh dear," Victoire said.

"Yeah, well, that's my dad for you."

"Be sure to tell him hi from all of us when you write him back," Gigi told me.

"Are you going to tell him about Christmas?" Starr asked.

"Yep, he asked what I was doing anyways. Seems only fair to answer him. I'll probably write him later in between homework and exhaustion."

"Sounds like a fine idea," Starr said cheerily.

I laughed, it was just like Starr to act so excited about homework and exhaustion because, and this was just a wild guess, Andy was somewhere in the middle of that. I still didn't understand how and why they didn't/couldn't see how much they liked one another. Even with all the throwing together that we'd been doing they'd never expressed anything akin to a romantic relationship. It was all Quidditch and homework and that left very little space for other things from the looks of it.

Speaking of which, "I wonder where Andy is," Starr said looking up and around the Great Hall. "He's usually here earlier."

"Why?" Gigi asked trying to keep the most innocent smile she could manage plastered on her face.

"No reason. He was going to let me borrow some of his Quidditch books."

"Books?" I asked. "You don't do books Starr. We've all tried to lend you our books before and you keep saying no."

"Yeah but have you ever tried to give me a Quidditch book before?"

"Two years ago for your birthday I asked you if you wanted _Quidditch: From the Beginning_ and you said 'no thanks'."

"Ah, well, sorry I guess. I probably wasn't thinking right that day. But don't worry about it now 'cause I think Andy has that one."

I swiveled my head to look at Melody whose smile went all the way up to her ears. Starr had gone back to eating and I looked at Vic and Gigi as well who were all giving me similar looks. Brightly I returned to my rice pudding and that gleeful feeling lasted for all of ten minutes when all the guys, including Nikki unfortunately, decided to show up.

Melody only took up one side of me so Brad slid easily into the empty space and caught me for a kiss that I obligingly gave but secretly I seriously was pissed. He didn't even say 'good morning' or 'hello', just KISS and then started talking to Teddy who'd sat down beside Victoire. Jase and Nikki had taken the seats beside Teddy and as I tried to catch Jase's eye Nikki started brushing his hair with her fingers and he simply smiled at her and went to work on his eggs, the usual breakfast for him. He still wouldn't look at me.

Brad spoke up then from beside me. "Did you get the Potions assignment done?"

I looked at him, eyebrow raised. As if he was going to make small-talk with me. "Yes." I stood up and walked away from the table with Melody close on my heels as well as Gigi. Starr had stayed behind to talk with Andy and Victoire had only just seen Teddy and there was no way she was leaving. But I had to get away from Brad.

"I'm still going to rip his eyes out," Gigi growled as we made our way to our first class.

"I wish you would. Just make up another reason other than the fact he's basically using me."

"I could do that. I'm sure I could put some wheels in motion that would make him do something stupid that would warrant my ripping his eyes out," Gigi said actually sounding cheerful at the prospect of ripping out Brad's eyes.

"And then to swing in and save the day," Melody said, getting in the 'Brad-killing mood', "I'll find a nice big book or brick or rock and bring it down soundly on his head. When he comes-to I'll say it slipped or I meant to hit Gigi or something."

I wrapped my arms around my two friends and smiled, "I love you guys."

They did likewise. "Love you too," Gigi said. "Don't worry. This won't last for very much longer. We'll work something else out over Christmas. It might even include decapitating our dear friend Brad."

"Yeah," Melody agreed. "Or shoving dozens of nails into his skin, or gluing his nuts to the ceiling of the Great Hall."

I laughed and we walked into our first class with a smile our faces.

December 20th we were on the Hogwarts Express going back to King's Cross Station for Christmas break. I was partially happy to be getting away from school, but mostly it was just being away from Brad. Two weeks with the girls was going to be nice. Spending quality time with Starr as well was great, so long as nothing go out. We were all pros at keeping our mouths shut or coming up with excuses that were equally true. I was looking forward to going to Starr's house as well. I'd been to everyone else's house over summers and break and such, but never to Starr's. I'd met her parents briefly at the beginning and end of school some years but this would go to a whole new experience.

On the downside, Jase was still avoiding me. It was getting to be too much. I missed my best friend and I was damned if I wasn't going to wish him a Happy Christmas. I had planned on sending my gift to him by mail, but I just didn't think that was right seen as how we'd been exchanging gifts to one another for the past six years in person.

I wound my way through the train and finally found the compartment he was sharing with Nikki, of course, Teddy, and Victoire.

"Allie," Victoire greeted, rising to hug me just as she'd done the first day on the train this year. It was a sign that I was welcome and that Jase could just kiss my ass if he or Nikki thought otherwise. "What brings you here?"

I sat down beside her, across the compartment from Jase who was staring blandly out the window. I looked at Victoire pulled the small wrapped package out of my jacket pocket. She nodded in understanding.

"Jase," she said. He didn't respond. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, which made him look at her. "Jase, Allie has something for you. Come on Teddy. Let's go see if we can find the trolley. I feel like something sweet."

"You always feel like something sweet," Teddy grumbled but didn't argue about leaving.

That left me alone with Jase and Nikki, and Jase still wouldn't look at me. He was staring at his shoes. I held out my hand to give him the small package. He didn't take it or make any indication he was going to take it. Instead Nikki held out her hand to grab it. "Oh that's so sweet of you," she said with her tone dripping with sickly-sweet honey. Ugh!

Before she grabbed it I snatched it back. "Excuse me, _Nicole_; this gift is for Jase, not you. We've been exchanging gifts with one another for the past six years when you were not around so if you'll just leave us for a moment I would greatly appreciate it."

Her eyes widened and then narrowed. "I'm his girlfriend."

"I'm his best friend, which takes precedence, even if Jase has found an excuse not to talk to me in the past few weeks. So leave or I will make you leave." I tried to look as menacing as humanly possible for someone who had no real practice with looking menacing.

She got up and huffed from the compartment. Jase jumped to start after her but then turned and snapped, "You have no right to talk to her like that!"

Finally he was looking at me. "And you have no right, none whatsoever, to ignore as you've been doing. What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem."

"Bullshit!"

"Go away Allie!"

"What for? If this is the only way I get to talk to you then so be it! Do you realize how lost I've been for the past few weeks. We tell each other everything and this stalemate between us is killing me!" Not just because I loved him, but because I sincerely and deeply missed him.

"You don't need me anymore. You have Brad."

"What?" I gasped. "Is that what you think? That I would ditch you when I finally got a boyfriend? Brad is nothing compared to you. You were there first!"

"You don't like Nikki," he said.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Nikki doesn't like you. It's like I can't do anything to appease you both."

"So you chose her over your best friend? Shit Jason, if that's how it's going to be then, fuck, you two deserve one another. To hell with you both."

"You never call me Jason."

"You never ran away before now. I never took you for a coward, Jason. You've always been my best friend. You've always been the one I ran to and vice versa. But now I don't know anymore. Despite my feelings for you, if Nikki tells you she doesn't want you talking to me, you've got less backbone than I'd originally thought."

"You can say anything you like about me, but leave Nikki out of this," he growled.

"Nikki's poisoned you against me," I cried, realizing now that I had tears running down my face. "Nikki wasn't there before and she won't be here afterwards. Maybe this time you won't have me to run to when you finally see her for what she is. She's a snake, Jason."

"Shut up!" he yelled, making me fall back onto the seat behind me. "Shut up!" he said more softly. "Just leave, Allie."

I rose with my head down, tears still streaming down my cheeks. I looked up at him one last time and held out the present. "You don't deserve this," I said. "You don't. I never thought you'd be less deserving than me, but I know I deserve better than you. I spent two years loving you Jason, two years of my life is gone because you didn't love me back." I shoved the package into his hands. "That's what you'll have instead of me, six years of friendship and nothing more." And I walked out of the compartment and back down the hall, my heart breaking with every step.

Back in the compartment Jason simply stared down at the colorfully wrapped package in his hands. He was tossing over her words in his head. Loved him? Two years? What was she talking about?

He ripped off the wrapping to find a simple, but elegant, picture album inside with a picture of Allie and him in the front frame. It was taken after their fifth year when he'd spent a week at her house in Cambridge. They'd taken hundreds of pictures that summer, documenting their adventures. Jason had a copy of it back at his house in Ireland as well as a framed one in the drawer of his side table at school. He'd hidden it because of Nikki. Shit!

He flipped through the album and found many other pictures of them inside it taken over the years. Each one of them showed Allie smiling at him or with him. The older pictures he noticed the friendly smile on her face, but as the pictures got more recent, her smile changed. She looked at him differently. How come he hadn't noticed this before?

Maybe because he'd been too wrapped up in himself to notice that the bookworm who he had loved for years actually loved him back…


	11. Book Sexy

**Chapter Eleven: Book Sexy**

I didn't let myself break down into horrible fits of despair and heartache until that night after the afternoon and dinner with Starr's parents. Maxine and George Morgan were really nice, and they had a really nice house, but I couldn't fully appreciate it when I knew I would just be faking it the entire time. I felt crappy. I felt crappier than I had ever felt and every one of my friends could tell that.

"But you told him," Melody tried to reason with me as was sprawled out on Starr's bed with my head in Victoire's lap. I had been crying for a few hours straight now. I was short of breath and my side hurt like hell, but I couldn't stop crying. "You told him you loved him, that's better than nothing."

"It…is…nothing!" I managed to squeeze out. Gigi handed me another tissue. "He…didn't do…anything. He…stood there…staring at me. Oh god…it hurts…sooooo much." I cried even harder.

"Well there is that," Melody admitted. "But you must've left pretty quick, right? He didn't have time to say anything."

I wailed even louder and Melody gave up. As much as I appreciated her trying to give me optimism at the moment it really wasn't time for that yet. I needed to wallow in my misery before getting all cheery that I still had a chance.

Victoire patted my head but didn't say anything and Starr was holding her childhood teddy at the foot of the bed. Gigi sat on the floor making her head level with mine. Melody was behind my curled form. They were all there for me in my time of need, which I was thankful for.

Gigi reached over and took my free hand; the other was tissue-filled, and smiled reassuringly at me. I tried to smile back but the moment my lips turned up I felt this gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach that stopped me.

We stayed like that for a while longer before Starr left the room and returned with some chocolate and a whole other box of tissues. She also brought a hefty-sized bottle of firewhiskey and several glasses. "Reinforcements," she said holding them up. I could only give a half-hearted chuckled, which was better than nothing I figured.

I ate chocolate and drank firewhiskey that burned with the sensation of my broken heart. Soon the heartache lessened and my head got heavier. Victoire had had a few drinks and when she finally said, "I'm going to kill her!" with drink and chocolate heavily in my system, I burst out laughing. "Stop laughing," she slurred. "I'm going to castrate her."

"Decapitate her!" Gigi corrected still laughing.

"Right, decapitate," Victoire agreed. "Then I'm going to castrate her."

We roared with laughter and I felt the weight in my chest loosen. I had my friends, who unfortunately could never make up for my loss of Jase, but at least I had that.

We fell asleep in a lump on the soft carpeted floor that we'd covered with sleeping-bags. I fell asleep peacefully, but when I woke up in the morning the hurt was still there. I cried softly before the other's heard me. I suspected that it would hurt for a long time. Six years is a long time to love somebody, and I wasn't just talking about romantically in love with Jase. I'd loved him before that too, as a friend. Six years was a long time to forgive and forget about.

I managed to tuck away my sad, hollow feelings and tried to fill my soul with the happiness around me. Starr and her parents were great. Christmas Eve I met Starr's grandparents as well as her aunts and uncles and cousins. We were all welcomed into the time-honoring celebration and we had lots of laughs around the dinner table.

Christmas morning came and instead of sharing it in our rooms like we did occasionally at Hogwarts, we trundled down the stairs to the giant Christmas tree that Starr's parents had set up. Sparkling with Christmas balls, white doves, and tinsel, I felt the Christmas cheer fill me up. The presents were stacked high underneath the tree as well as on some chairs and on the table. Maxine and George sat on the couch with their cups of coffee and watched us girls go through the presents one-by-one, ooh-ing and awe-ing whenever we found something really spectacular.

I'd received two gifts from Starr's parents. One from Maxine, a plush, cashmere scarf the colour of blueberries, and one from George, a book on western philosophy. Starr must have told them what was what. I went over and hugged them both, thanking them.

From Gigi I'd gotten a very soft teddy bear that had "I Heart My Friend" across the tummy as well as a pair of really jazzy sun glasses. Gigi had always been the one to keep away from books at Christmas. I think in the six years we'd been friends she only given me one book-type present, and that had been a magazine, which didn't really count.

Melody had given me a musical jewelry box as well as some jewelry already inside that included a treble clef necklace and earrings. She hadn't given me a book either, but the card said to expect a couple for my birthday in May.

Starr pulled out her gift for me from behind the tree and I almost fell over when she handed it to me. It was really heavy. I opened it and found a beautifully carved case about a foot wide and half a foot deep. I opened it and found the entire set of magical encyclopedia's inside. I laughed heartily when I saw them. "To continue your educational endeavours," the card had said. Starr had just shrugged when I asked her the price and she said, "It was on sale." I didn't really believe her though because it had never really been a secret that her parents were incredibly wealthy.

The gift from Victoire was sort of a surprise and yet not so much, because clothes were her life I knew I'd get some kind of clothing for my Christmas present. Yet when I unwrapped it I found a very cute pair of jeans with an embroidered design stitched onto the back pockets and all down the left leg. Super cute! The shirt was not pink, which I was thankful for, and it wasn't covered with hearts. Instead it was a goldie-yellow colour that, after trying it on, hugged me perfectly. It had medium length sleeves and sort of lifted at the waist when I lifted my arms, but that was okay, and the only thing girly about it was the single bow in the middle of the oval neckline. In short, I loved it!

My dad, whom I'd written that I was going to be at Starr's over Christmas, had sent me a picture frame filled with him and an old antique book. The back said I could have the book when I got home because he didn't feel safe sending it by owl. I laughed and showed my friends the picture. "It's so like him," I said.

My grandparents sent me a stationary set with a card reminding me that they weren't dead and would still love to hear from me. They did that every year, and every year I laughed my butt off.

My Auntie Barb, the joker in the family, sent me a collection of small things that started with a pair of oversized glasses and a red clown-nose. "For your funny side," the card said. She sent me a long feathered quill like was very feathery. "For your creative side", read the card. "And for your freak side", she'd stuffed a long feathered boa in the bottom of the box with an extremely sparkly and extremely tiny purple shirt and a pair of florescent pink spandex leggings.

"There is no way I am going to wear that!" I said to my friends who immediately wanted me to try the entire ensemble on.

"Why not?" Gigi said trying to keep from laughing. "It's…ahem…cute."

"Oh you are such a bad liar. I am not putting those on."

"At least put the boa, glasses and nose on, please!" Starr whined.

I looked over and saw that her parents were laughing but their eyes were sparkling with affection. I was with good company and so I might feel embarrassed but I would be able to get over it. "Fine," I agreed throwing the boa around my neck, putting the glasses on my face and completing the ensemble with the bulbous red nose. "How do I look?" I posed for a few pictures that Victoire took with her new camera from her Uncle Harry.

"Darling," Melody crooned. "Just darling!"

We all collectively and individually posed with our various gifts as well as with each other's gifts and each other. I think we'd taken about two hundred pictures by the time Starr's parents said that it was time to get ready for Christmas dinner. We were going over to Starr's grandparents for a big turkey lunch/dinner.

Starr's grandparents, Eleanor and Leonard Morgan, were two of the most sophisticated people I had ever met.

Eleanor was a short woman that had short grey hair that was elegantly pinned back. Her navy-blue pant-suit was pressed to within an inch of perfection and the pearls around her neck showed her status within society without making her look the least bit pretentious.

Leonard was much taller than his wife, his grey hair had receded back so far on his head that he had started this awful comb-over thing with the few long hairs he still had left. But despite his bad hair style, he still looked regal in the black and white tuxedo he'd chosen to wear that evening. He greeted George, his son, and Maxine holding a snifter of amber-colored brandy and a cigar.

It had been Starr's grandparents on her mother's side that had visited the day before for Christmas Eve dinner. They were incredibly high-class but muggle and thus from a different circle. I liked both sets of grandparents equally, but there was something about the wizarding nobility of Eleanor and Leonard that made the fantasy of all the books I'd ever read jump out from the page and into reality.

Dinner was five courses and I was so stuffed by the end that I practically waddled back out to the van that George had driven to get there. It was convenient having enough money to afford a van, a sedan, and a sports car, especially when his daughter had four really good friends.

We spent the afternoon in a respectful silence as part of our downtime. We'd had an exciting morning as well as a lot of food to eat a noontime, so we were all feeling pretty tired and needed some time alone to relax.

I was restless however, and wandered through the house until I made a full circle and a huge sigh escaped.

"Are you okay, Allie?" George asked from where he was seated at the dinning-room table. He had papers spread out all around him and a pen in his hand.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said walking towards him. "Work on Christmas day, Mr. Morgan?"

He smiled, "Call me George. And yes, I never stop working and providing for my family." He leaned back and stretched. "Oh but I think it's about time for a break, wouldn't you say?" He stood up and walked towards the kitchen. I followed.

George Morgan was a very tall man, just like his father. He had a beautiful head of sable-colored hair and the same blue eyes that Starr had. He also had a very warm smile that made me feel comfortable with him. Most parents gave off the awkward, stiff and formal feel when you first meet them, but not George. He was a very rich and powerful man in the wizarding world but he wasn't the least bit intimidating.

"Glass of eggnog?" he offered when he looked into the refrigerator.

I shook my head, "No thanks. I never really got used to the taste of eggnog."

He nodded, "It's an acquired taste. I didn't like it until I married Maxine. I still don't really like it, but I tolerate it for her."

I laughed. He was really nice. Then I had a question, "How did you meet Maxine?"

He poured himself a glass of the yellow eggnog and then put the carton back in the fridge. "We were childhood friends actually. We went to the same private school before I went off to Hogwarts. Of course I knew my heritage and I knew I would be leaving when I was eleven and I would have to say goodbye to her. But we were best friends from the start. We still are."

"And after Hogwarts, how did you meet her again?"

"We met formally as business associates. Her parents were getting a great big merger together and after she'd finished university at Oxford she took up an assistant position at her father's firm. I had moved right into my father's business and was quickly progressing at the age of twenty-two into a right-fine businessman."

"Her parents dealt with wizard businesses?" I asked. I had often been fascinated by the discrimination that some muggles held for wizards and had heard dozens of stories, but then my father had been a good example of the opposite to that stereotype. I always loved hearing that others fit in that category too.

"Yes. Well you met them the other night. Very down-to-earth people who enjoy every aspect of this world, and dealing with wizards and witches on a day-to-day basis is partially why they are so successful. So business associates became best friends again and soon things got to be more than that and I asked her to marry me." He smiled at me and then his brow furrowed. "Why do you ask?"

I felt rather unsure about talking to Starr's father about my love-life, but it seemed to fit. "I've been in love with my best friend for a long time and he and I just had a fight on the train. I don't see any reason for him to forgive me or see that I love him, despite the fact that I told him."

"Ahh," he said knowingly. "Well the attention you were giving him before didn't work right?"

I frowned, "Right. How'd you know?"

"Age-old trick," he laughed. "The next trick in the book is to ignore him. Laugh at other jokes when he's watching usually works. But enjoy your life and don't focus on him. That way he sees what he's missing out on and you don't feel like your wasting your time."

"Wow," I said. "That's really good."

I looked past George and saw Maxine leaning on the doorframe smiling. She came up beside her husband and wrapped her arm around him. "Worked for me, didn't it?" she laughed.

He kissed her nose, "Definitely."

I felt brighter, I felt happier, I felt more energized and all because of this loving couple in front of me. By all rights I should be horribly miserable seeing that they were happy together and I didn't have that for myself, but then that would be selfish and it would also be ignoring the advice George had just given me. Instead I felt better than I had in days.

"Thanks," I said as I turned to leave.

"You're welcome," George said as he took another swig of his drink. He downed the rest of the eggnog and winked at me. "Anytime."

I turned to leave and was climbing the stairs when Maxine caught up with me again. "Allie, Starr says that you like books."

"Yeah, I love them."

"Then I have another Christmas present for you," she climbed the stairs and I followed.

"Its okay, Mrs. Morgan, I don't really need anything else for Christmas."

"Ah you mistake me. This is a very different kind of present." She opened the door at the top of the stairs and my mouth dropped open when I saw the great wide windows directly in front of me that illuminated stacks upon stacks and rows upon rows of _books_. "This is our own personal library. You may borrow any book you wish, but I would hope you'd return it when you're finished."

I walked into the room with my mouth still hanging open. "Of course. Wow, this room is amazing!"

"We cerrtainly like to think so," Maxine agreed. "So do you think you could spend a little time in here?" Her eyes were smiling at me.

"I could spend days in here!" I admitted as I let my fingers drift across the spines of books that I deigned to read. "I could spend months in here."

Maxine laughed. "Then I will leave you to it then." She turned to leave.

"Mrs. Morgan?" I called out to her.

She turned back and said, "Maxine, please Allie, we may be well-off but we're not pompous snobs. Call me Maxine."

I'd expected that. "Maxine, do you…do you think books could be…sexy?"

She smiled and considered for a moment. "Sure they can. I've read several sexy books."

"No," I laughed, "What I mean is do you think that my liking books a lot could be sexy?"

She laughed then and picked up a book and handed it to me. "Do you feel sexy when you hold books?"

"No, not really. I feel like a bookworm."

"Okay, well do you feel at peace, in charge and excited when you read books?"

"Yes, all the time. I love getting locked into a story so that I have to keep reading and find out what comes next. When I hold books I feel a sense of ease and comfort. I feel strong." I held the book she'd given me to my chest.

"That's sexy then," she decided.

"Really?"

"Yes. Confidence is sexy. Take it from someone who knows."

"Thanks," I smiled. "Thank you very much."

"My pleasure," she replied. "I'll leave you with your books then." She gave me a very toothy grin and left the room.

Maxine Morgan was a very classy lady, I decided as I took the book she'd given me and curled up in one of the comfy chairs in front of the big windows. I opened the cover and began reading. I was drawn into the story and I was smiling the entire time.

I didn't realize until much later, after a light dinner and then more laughs with my friends, that under that tree this morning there was not a single gift from Jase.

My heart was pounding and I clutched the book I'd borrowed from the Morgan's library as we walked towards the train on January 3rd. We dropped off our luggage at the baggage car and climbed aboard to find an empty compartment. I reached back and found Gigi's hand there. She squeezed mine reassuringly.

I lifted my head and took a deep breath. I was not going to be afraid. There was no use in being afraid. I'd already worked out every angle, knew what I was going to do and who I was going to be and I wasn't going to get scared off now. I was going to focus on me now instead of focusing on him. I was going to enjoy the time I was spending with my friends and forget that my heart had been crushed.

I'd made one request of my friends and they'd agreed with very little hesitation. "Keep him away from me," I'd said. "At least until I say I'm okay again."

They'd looked at each other and then at me before agreeing, which meant they weren't too sure about what I was doing, but they would respect it because they were my friends.

So, on the train now with my book as my shield, the book that Maxine had handed to me and the book I felt strong and confident with, we found a compartment and took the ride one step at a time.

I saw Jase and Nikki walk by and my gut clenched as I'd expected but when he looked at me and our eyes met for a few seconds there was zero sadness. I wouldn't let sadness pull me under. I'd had two weeks, fourteen days to cry over him. I'd cried my tears. If things were going to work out now it would be him coming to me, not the other way around.

Nikki's smile was a different story altogether though. She smiled triumphantly, her eyes alight with victory that made me want to squish her like the disgusting cockroach that she was. I didn't look at her for very long.

Brad popped his head into the compartment just before the train whistle went and lurched forward. "Hey babe," he leaned down and kissed me and while he lingered I pushed him away subtly the first chance I could get. "I'm going to hang out with Teddy and Andy in their compartment, come with me?"

"No thanks," I managed to say with considerable calm.

He shrugged, "Any other takers?"

Victoire and Starr jumped up and went with Brad because their respective/prospective others were in the direction Brad was headed.

Gigi and Melody looked at me when the three of them had gone. "I think it's time for drastic measures," I said.

"I agree," Melody chimed. "It's been a long time now. Things are getting ridiculous."

"Find Chase tonight and set things up," I told her. "We need to pull this off by the end of the week because if I have to continue being Brad's girlfriend and sort of lying to Starr then I will never last."

Gigi nodded, "Yeah, I was just about to ask when you were going to ditch him."

"I need to get things ironed out with Andy and Starr first, and then I can call things off with Brad."

"Good plan. And when you tell Starr do you think she's going to be pissed?" Melody asked.

"I sure as hell hope not. I'm banking on her being so happy about being in love with Andy that she will pass over my lies and realize the sacrifices I've made for her."

"And then maybe we can all gang up on Brad and dump him together?" Gigi sounded excited.

I laughed, "Yeah maybe. Give him a piece of our minds."

"Or maybe a few knuckle sandwiches." Gigi sounded really excited now. She was really amusing when she was angry.

"If anyone's handing out the knuckle sandwiches," I said, "it's going to be me."

"Ooh, I like this new you," Melody laughed. "It's kinda scary and fun at the same time. Plus I've never seen you punch anyone before."

"Stick around and you'll have front-row seats," I smiled.

I had to admit to myself that I did feel pretty good. I was taking charge and letting loose, and the thought of punching Brad right in the nose made me feel really, really good!


	12. Sweet Success

**Chapter Twelve: Sweet Success**

There was something about being back that lifted my spirits that much more than when I had been at Hogwarts before. Before there was an endless endeavour, a mission, a goal to obtain as it were, whereas now there was no structured plan and I was free to enjoy the school I'd loved for years to the fullest. I still kept my eye out for Jase and yes, I'll admit that some of the time there was a twinge in the pit of my stomach that made me think of what I'd lost, but I told myself that it was only temporary. I had found the confidence somewhere deep inside me that kept up a steady drum beat that chanted he would come back to me, if that makes sense. I just had to forget and enjoy and maybe things would turn out my way because I refused to even consider life if they didn't, I was just that stubborn.

I dug into my chocolate pudding with so much fervor that even at the feast that when Melody tapped my shoulder I nearly dropped my spoon. I managed to hold onto it, but only just, and all the pudding I'd scooped up fell right back into the bowl, which usually I'd be a little frustrated about, but not today. Probably not tomorrow either if this mood kept me company for the next little while.

"Hello?" Melody said. "If you'll take a few moments to come up for air you will see that our quarry is leaving the Great Hall." She shook her head towards the entrance and I saw the sandy-blonde hair of a tall and broad-shouldered boy.

I shoveled a few more spoonfuls into my mouth and nodded to Vic across the table. She would be able to cover for us if Starr asked where we were going. I stood up and started to follow Melody.

"Chase," Melody called out to him when we reached the first staircase. He had just reached the top. "Chase Hamilton." Her voice was oddly sultry and I wanted to frown at her and ask what that was all about, but I held back. I'd ask her later, if I could remember.

Chase turned and I was struck by the gorgeous and handsome face that lit up with a smile when his gaze caught us walking towards him. He was one of those obviously beautiful people with good looks, personality, and money to boot, and yet he was never snobby or rude. It was almost like everyone was his friend in some form or another. He didn't have any specific pack of friends because he was friends with everybody. He would swing from group to group with his good looks and his debonair charm made girls swoon, which made guys jealous. And despite my obvious feelings for Jase I could still appreciate the looks and class of the boy in front of me. In the words of Melody, my present cohort, he was damn fine!

"Ladies," he greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He grabbed Melody's hand and kissed the back before doing the same with mine.

"We have a proposition for you," Melody said sweetly, giving him her best actress smile…or was it? I couldn't tell if she was being sincere or not. Damn she was good.

"A proposition? I'm all ears."

"We've been doing a little reconnoitering with two of our friends, a little matchmaking here and there," I began. "Except, here's the kicker, neither knows that it's more than friendship."

"How deep has this recon gone? For how long" Chase asked suddenly intrigued, I could tell that for sure.

"A little over two months," Melody replied.

"Okay, so what does this have to do with me?" he asked sincerely. He was interested and the way we'd explained didn't annoy him that we didn't immediately jump to his role in this little scheme. He was perfectly patient and perfectly sweet about it.

"The way we figure it," I continued, "is that what these two really need to jump-start their more-than-friends relationship is a little jealousy."

He understood within seconds. His quick wit and sharp mind were often another one of those things that attracted the women in flocks. "Ahh and you thought of me to 'woo' the lucky lady of your acquaintance so her man will get jealous."

"Precisely," Melody agreed. "We're banking on Starr either blushing like a fool, or feeling guilty about talking to you because she's in like with Andy, and vice versa when I sidle up to Andy."

"A devious plan, ladies, but I must admit that now that I've been told I cannot resist. This interests me greatly and I would love to see the happy outcome if this plan of yours really works."

"It'll work," I assured him. "It's hard to resist such charm. So you'll help us out?"

"Of course," Chase bowed graciously. "For a price however." His eyes sparkled.

"A price?" I repeated.

"A price." He reached over and took Melody's hand and kissed the back of it once more. And he turned and walked away.

I squinted at his receding form. "What was that all about? What price?"

Melody didn't seem to hear me. Instead she waited until he was around the corner and did a little jig on the spot, squealing with delight. "Yes!" she exclaimed scaring a few first years that came around the corner.

"What 'yes'? Please help me out here." I grabbed her hand and started pulling her back towards the Great Hall.

She sighed but her smile did not fade. "I've liked Chase for years and last year when we were dating things got really bad in his personal life, like home life, his parents were getting divorced and he said that, to be fair, he didn't want to put that strain on me. So we separated, oh but I've never stopped thinking about that time we spent. So now…his price, the kiss on the back of my hand, it's a sign!"

"How is it possible I did not know all this? And a sign, he kissed me on the back of my hand too, you know?" I was baffled as we climbed down the stairs.

"You did not know because I did not tell anyone. It's been me and mine since then, but now, now we say it out loud. By the end of this week I am going to be dating Chase Hamilton! And he didn't give you the look he gave me when he kissed my hand. There was a moment!"

"Ah, a moment, right. The moment when worlds collide and stars explode and everything in the universe stands still, all at the same time!"

"See, you understand it. That's how it was for me." She grabbed my arm and hugged me tight. "Oh I feel like dancing."

"Sit tight until we gather the gang and hit the dorm please. Then we can jam out all you want."

"Yes!"

I started laughing as I sat back down at the table. I was so happy for Melody. I was so happy for all my friends who were equally happy. I returned to my bowl of pudding and struck up a conversation with Gigi as easily as if nothing had changed, as if I'd always been this carefree, focused-on-me person. It was great.

Then I saw Nikki and Jase. And my happy world did a dizzying revolution and my happiness landed flat on its ass.

So I was able to admit to myself that I wasn't impervious to Jase and that despite my resolve I was still head-over-heels in love with him. I would just remember that whenever he looked my way and gave me that deep wounded stare that I wasn't going to let him drag me down any more.

Even when Jase caught me outside my dorm room that night and I wasn't even close to being prepared to talk to him, I knew that I would be defensive. Because if I wasn't I would just fall back into a horrible and depressing mood. I was better than that.

"Hey Allie," Jase said as I came around the corner. He was standing beside the room to my dorm with a bag of chips in his hands. His hello was so soft that I almost didn't hear him.

"What are you doing here Jase?" I demanded crossing my arms.

He held up the bag in his hand as if that was going to explain itself.

"What? Do you think that just because I'm back and I'm smiling that means I've forgiven you? Well sucks to be you because you can take those chips and eat 'em yourself. I've had enough." I reached for the doorknob.

"Allie, please."

"You don't get it," I said turning to face him again. "Let me spell it out for you. I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. To. You! Go. Away." I turned the doorknob and went inside.

Before I could close the door however, Jase was there. "Allie, come on, we _need_ to talk."

I stepped aside and Gigi took my place. She might have been tiny but she was tough and she would look out for me. "Jason, get it through your head," she said shoving him back from the door. "When she wants to talk to you, she'll let you know." And she slammed the door in his face.

"Thanks, Gigi," I said sitting myself down on my bed. I was really tired for some reason.

"No problem," she said as she went back to her own bed and started untying her boot laces. "That boy is thick!"

"Ha," I laughed shortly, "I suppose he is."

There was only one thing that came out of that day. Well two actually, because of our little rendezvous with Chase, and those were that plans were in motion to knock some sense into Starr's and Andy's little heads, as well as the fact that my friends had my back when it came to matters of my heart.

One thing I hadn't missed about being away from school for the past two weeks was that the professors couldn't mail all their homework assignments over those fourteen days. But now that we were back again they kept on piling it on us despite our complaints, stress, illnesses etcetera. There was nothing we could do that would alleviate our minds, nor ease the pain in our wrists from writing at least twelve inches a day for every single subject. I swear that I have never felt like my hand was going to fall off before, not even in my fifth year when the OWLs were coming up. But no, now, in NEWT year, I felt like my hand, wrist, hell my entire arm was going to flop down on the desk beside me and lay lifeless for the rest of the year because it simply could not go on.

By Thursday there was a terrible ache in the middle of my back as well from being hunched over all the work assignments. The only good thing about the homework load was that Brad was keeping off my back because his ass was on the line doubly so. He had always been a good student, kept good grades and never really failed an assignment, but seeing him hustle as he did in the last four days was something of a miracle. I guess he wasn't as good a student as I had thought. But I didn't mind because his hands were kept busy and his mind was too occupied to think about kissing me most days.

The downside of all this work was that the girls and I still hadn't been able to get the "Andy and Starr Matchmaking: Jealousy" session underway. I had said I wanted it done by the end of the week, but somehow I didn't see that happening. I was laden down with too much homework to think of much else anyways.

Melody came up to me on Thursday afternoon however, and informed me that her mind had done little else but think about the 'Jealousy' session, which made everything easier on my part.

"I was thinking," she said, "that this afternoon should be perfect. We just need to get them separated for a few minutes and then we can pounce."

"What about Chase?" I asked looking around the deserted hallway. The others were either still in class or going back to the dorm room before we started our kick-ass homework session. And by kick-ass, I mean that we would be cleaning the slate tonight or else.

"I've already talked to him today and he thinks sooner rather than later would be the best approach."

I raised my eyebrow at her, "Is there something else I should know about this sooner rather than later approach?"

She looked at me feigning innocence, "What ever do you mean?"

"Oh I dunno, how about the sooner rather than later means you two can be together sooner rather than later? Does that ring any bells?"

"Why Allie, you are so deliciously funny. I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about." She started walking down the hall away from me.

"Uhuh, sure you don't."

We went down the stairs from our last class to the library as usual. It seemed that it was our regular hang-out spot these days except when we got rowdy, which was next to never these days. Rowdy wasn't on the homework schedule much to the boys' disappointment.

When Melody and I arrived I saw that everyone else was already there at our regular table, so regular in fact that we'd asked the librarian to put a little '_Reserved'_ place card in the middle of the table for us. Apparently some people got very edgy and very upset when their daily routine was jostled from one table to another.

I sat down beside Gigi who had taken a spot next to Starr. Melody sat in between Andy and Alec. Jase, Nikki, Brad, Victoire and Teddy took up the other seats. My eyes shifted momentarily towards Jase but then when I thought better of it I bent down and shuffled through my book bag and pulled out my homework. For once, I thought, homework was being helpful in my life instead of messing it up.

I bent over and went to work, looking between my text book and my parchment as my pen scribbled over the page, my only thoughts were those of defense techniques against an Alaskan Banshee who screamed until you were paralyzed and then once she got her hands on you, you would freeze on the spot, blood and all, and never see the light of day again. Lovely creature, I remember thinking. But the defenses of such a terrifying beast were clearly outlined; always have a burning torch, when she screams, scream back to keep from hearing just her piercing scream alone, never attempt to plug your ears because then you're just defenseless period, and sometimes direct wand combat works, but a Banshee's skin and mind are less penetrable than wizards and witches.

I was a sentence from being done when a rolled up piece of paper landed on my essay. It nearly startled the living daylights out of me, but instead of screaming, as a Banshee would have done, I looked up at Melody who was giggling at me. She obviously thought scaring me out of my skin was humorous. I picked up the paper and unfolded it.

_I can smell your hair burning, my friend. It's time to go to work. Chase is over there._

There was an arrow pointed towards the top of my page in the direction of the windows over Jase's shoulder opposite me. Chase was sitting at another table not far from ours looking devastatingly handsome and looking over every few seconds. When he caught my eye this last time he nodded and waved. I looked at Melody and she raised both eyebrows saying 'it's go-time' and I turned back to look at Chase. I nodded my head curtly and nudged Gigi next to me.

Her head popped up and looked at me. I handed her the piece of paper and she followed the same train of thought almost action for action, save the nodding at Chase. It looked like we were all set, just to distract Starr…

Starr got up from the table just then as if playing right into our plan…yet we knew she wasn't. Where was she going? I started to panic as she walked away, but when I saw her stop at a bookshelf a little ways off from the table my eyes widened in Melody's direction. I let off a cursory sigh of relief and looked back over to Chase but he wasn't there anymore. He'd disappeared. Perfect!

I looked back behind me to where Starr was searching through the shelves and I saw Chase appear from around the bookcase. He was striding towards her with his usual strut that was neither pretentious nor snobbish, just so…hot!

I watched as Chase walked right up to her and struck up a casual conversation with her, and unlike when she talked to Andy, she looked perfectly calm, cool and collected. Chase didn't have that obviously charming effect on her as he did on everyone else around him. Starr was smarter than to fall for his smooth moves and good looks. She was an athlete and she knew how to use her head, most of the time anyway.

As Starr chatting casually with Chase I looked back to where Andy was sitting next to Melody. He was also watching Chase and Starr but with less cool than Starr was taking it. His knuckles were whitening because his fists were clenched so hard, there was a hard line drawn in his forehead as a display of frustration, and with a slight squeeze I heard his knuckles crack menacingly. He was seriously considering going over to Starr and knocking Chase's lights out.

I bit my lip nervously and made eye contact with Melody. She was almost squirming in her seat with excitement. I looked at Gigi briefly and she was merely grinning from ear to ear. Victoire who was sitting beside Teddy had also figured out what was going on. She was almost bouncing out of her chair.

I looked back at Chase and Starr and with Starr's back to me Chase and I made brief eye contact as he signaled me that all was well and it was time for Phase 2. Melody saw the exchange and made a beeline for Andy, figuratively of course.

"Andy, do you understand this question?" she asked in her professionally flirty tone that would make a lot of guys melt.

Andy looked over at her question, whatever it might have been, and replied, "Um…I'm not sure Melody. I'm not in that class this year, remember?"

"Oh I know that," she said, "I was just thinking because you were so smart in it last year you would have kept it up as a hobby, you know?"

Andy nodded, "Yeah, well I sort of have, but not to that extent. The question you need to answer is related to medicinal properties whereas I've kept up with the more fantastical properties."

"Fantastical?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "like the…uh…magically infused properties. Kinda like how this plant could be used to render a person unconscious, but it can also be turned into a sort of firework plant that sparks at passersby."

Melody's mouth dropped open; she was truly and genuinely surprised at this information. "Really?"

Andy smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

I watched as they continued their conversation for another few minutes before checking on the progress behind me. Chase was trying so hard to get some kind of reaction other that a vague friendship with Starr, but she wasn't biting. Andy had bit a big chunk out of that one so it was just about time for Starr to turn around and see Melody flirting veraciously with Andy.

Chase and my eyes met and he seemed to understand immediately, as if we'd totally planned it down to the nanosecond when we were going to switch and everything. Chase picked up Starr's hand and kissed the back of hers, at exactly the time when Andy was looking up from Melody's perfectly planned distraction.

His fists clenched, knuckles whitened, the vein in his neck pulsed and he looked like a fuse ready to be lit. All Chase might need to do is kiss Starr on the cheek then and Andy would shoot off like a rocket in that direction.

Instead Andy sat there staring and watched as Chase walked away. Chase looked behind him and waved at Starr over his shoulder, prompting a wave in response. Starr turned and the strategically brilliant Melody picked that moment when Starr's eyes clasped on Andy's to place her hand on Andy's arm and ask impishly, "Andy, are you alright?"

Andy and Starr's eyes left each other and I could see something ignite and erupt inside each of them. Andy hadn't let go of his frustration after seeing Chase with Starr, and Starr was now blinking in surprise that Melody was almost attached to Andy's hip. I watched closely, and hopefully somewhat inconspicuously, as Starr's cheeks reddened with anger, her fists started mimicking Andy's earlier actions, and she took the book she was holding and brought it to the table before slamming it down, hard.

Gigi looked up shocked at the aggression and looked up at Starr. "Starr, is everything okay?"

"Fine," she snapped out.

"Doubtful," Gigi put in. "Come on," she whispered loud enough so that only I could hear, and possibly Alec on the other side of her, but he wasn't really paying attention as he was too engrossed in his homework.

"I…I feel funny," Starr admitting letting another glance slide in Andy's direction. "What is it…I can't understand."

My eyes lit up when I heard this information and my eyes probably sparkled across the table at Victoire who was looking very eager towards Starr and Gigi's heads together.

"You're going to have to explain a little better, hun," Gigi pressed trying to get the confession out of Starr, something we all knew but she still needed to realize.

"It's like, when I saw Melody's hand on Andy's arm a great flaring fire lit up inside me. One word came to my mind."

"What word?" I leaned over and asked.

"Oh, um...'mine'," she whispered in a growling tone as she flushed a deep scarlet colour.

"Don't you figure you should do something about it then?" Gigi said. "I mean, Melody is flirting with your man, isn't she?"

"But I've never seen Andy like that though, I mean, it wasn't like that."

"Well maybe it should be," I told her, "especially if you feel like this."

"Yeah, I guess so. What should I do?" Starr glanced towards Andy and Melody again and I knew she felt that flaring feeling again.

Gigi beat me to saying, "Go over there and kiss him."

"What?" Starr's mouth dropped open. "You think?"

"What else shows he's yours better, I ask you, please?" Gigi raised her eyebrows at Starr and I started nodding frantically. "Go," Gigi urged again.

"Right," Starr said as though trying to work herself up to it. "How hard can it be?"

"Starr," I said, "you're over thinking it, just go over there and do what feels right."

She nodded despite the flurry of activity beneath her eyes. She was still thinking about it, but that was okay because she got up and walked over to where Melody and Andy were sitting. "Andy, can I talk to you?"

Andy got up curtly and I could tell he was still suffering from the refractions of Chase's flirtations. "Sure," he mumbled. He stood in front of Starr and the two moved back from the table slightly.

Starr looked anxiously at Gigi and me, as well as Victoire on the other side of the table, before she threw her arms around Andy's neck and smacked a huge kiss on his lips. For a moment there was a shocked silence around the table because as she planted the kiss on him he stood there with his arms at his sides as he was processed things. Then I saw his lips stretch into a smile and he wrapped his arms around Starr's back and kissed her back.

Whoops of laughter went up around our little study table—all the guys had been secretly watching us the whole time—and I felt an overwhelming sense of glee in the pit of my stomach. Success was sweet and even more so because it meant Starr and Andy didn't have to be in the dark any longer. It also meant one more thing…

My eyes met Brad's across the table and instead of the pleasantly neutral smile I usually gave him I decided to smirk instead. I knew he had nothing left to hold over me. I was going to get rid of him for good now. He stood up and left quickly, fear flashing across his face, and I nudged Gigi as I got up to follow. Melody and Vic saw as well and we followed Brad out of the library up the first stairs into a deserted corridor. Bingo.


	13. Dismissal and Detention

**Chapter Thirteen: Dismissal and Detention**

Cornered in the deserted corridor, Brad swiveled and looked back at the four of us, looking utterly terrified. I wouldn't have thought that Victoire, Gigi, Melody and I looked particularly terrifying, but the look in his eyes told me otherwise. I almost had the feeling that Brad was going to turn into a blubbering old woman and beg for mercy, just to put that stereotype out there, and because the flurry of fear that passed across his eyes had me frowning to my fullest. Where was the blackmailing Brad that had manipulated me into this pretense in the first place? Had that too been a pretense? What was his deal?

Backed up against the wall we formed a semi-circle around him so that any chance of escape was blocked off.

"Where are you going Brad?" Melody asked him sweetly.

"I…was…um…"

"For weeks now I've wanted to scratch your eyes out Bradley Coogan," Gigi said with her hands on her hips as she took a preemptive step forward and Brad tried to retreat a step only to meet a wall. "I'll wait for Allie's 'go ahead' but I'll do it so help me God."

"You had to know this was coming," I finished for them. "You had to know that after Starr and Andy were together I was going to ditch this pretense Brad. This power you think you've held over me has evaporated and it's over."

"Listen, Allie," he murmured. He was afraid. He was remorseful. What the hell was that all about? "Allie, look…"

"You give me an order like 'listen' or 'look' again and I'll unleash Gigi on your pretty little face Bradley. You don't have any right to say anything now. This is over."

"Allie, no, you've got it wrong. Please don't—"

I turned away to shut down anything he wanted to say. I was beyond caring about him. Whatever he thought I had wrong was none of my concern. There was no mistaking his intentions. Guilt-tripping me into staying with him after that deceitful relationship we'd had, if you could call it a relationship, was not going to work. So if I walked away maybe he'd give it a rest.

"Allie, no!" he reached over and grabbed my arm.

My temper flared and I swung my other hand around to connect with the side of Brad's face. He released my arm and stumbled back a few steps. A look of shock was on his face. I guess he hadn't expected me, of all people, Allyson Graham the Bookworm, to lash out and attack him. Well I guess he'd gotten a lot of things wrong about me.

"Don't you dare touch me again," I growled at him.

"But, Allie—"

"NO! You asshole! You manipulated me, took advantage of me and my friends and used it. You used me! I will never forgive you for that, you son of a bitch."

He was shaking his head, looking deeper than sad as he buried himself inside whatever he was feeling. I wouldn't feel sorry for him though. I was better than that; I wouldn't feel sorry for him, no matter his circumstance.

I felt Melody's hand on my arm and we linked hands. Melody glared at Brad, "You ever come near her again Bradley and I swear you will get such a beating that you'll wish you'd just left it well enough alone."

Victoire stepped up on my other side with her arms crossed across her chest, a stance that she rarely took up. Her violet eyes flared dangerously and she bared her teeth to reveal razor sharp points, a trait from her maternal Veela heritage. She was a fierce warrior despite her girlish exterior.

Brad paled as he saw her and he backed away another step. Serves him right, was all I thought.

Gigi was still standing a little ahead to my left with her hands on her hips. She dearly wanted to hit him, I could tell. She was a little fireball that raged silently and begged to be set free. "Gigi," I said.

She stepped away from Brad with much reluctance and the four of us turned to walk away down the hall. After Starr and Andy in the library and getting rid of Brad just now, I didn't know when I'd ever felt this elated. True love affirmed and an annoying bug crunched made for a very good day. I didn't even mind the mountain of homework I still had.

"I wonder what his issue was," I voiced aloud to my friends. 

"Uh…who cares," Gigi said as we turned the corner.

"I don't care, I'm just curious. He looked scared out of his wits."

"Probably because of Vic's teeth," Melody said as she wrapped her arm around Victoire.

"Or Gigi's fists doing a little dance at her sides," Victoire put in. "You looked mighty set on knocking his lights out, Gigi."

"I sure as hell wanted to," Gigi admitted. "He didn't deserve to get off that easy. We should have given him a right good beating."

"And that would have landed us right in detention, no doubt," I put in.

"You're worrying about detention? I think a detention would have been fair for getting the satisfaction of kicking that boy's ass to Timbuktu," Gigi exclaimed.

I laughed, "Ha, yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Least you're free of him," Vic pointed out as we went back into the library. "No more Bradley. The guy can suck eggs for all I care now."

"Suck eggs?" Gigi laughed as walked to the table. "Victoire, that's probably the meanest thing you've ever said about someone."

Vic batted her eyelashes at Gigi, "It's because I hang out with you too much," she said sarcastically. Then more seriously, "Or because that guy twisted my gut all outta shape for what he did to Alls."

"Who did what to Alls?" Starr asked looking up as our party rejoined the table and took our respective seats. She was practically glowing as she held onto Andy's hand. Andy looked likewise.

"Tell you later," was all I could say. I didn't want to bring anything up now, not with Jase still sitting there. "I'll tell you everything later," I promised. I did have quite a bit of explaining to do.

It took about an hour for Starr to get over being angry at me for keeping her out of everything that had happened in the last few months. I couldn't blame her. Secrets weren't usually my forte and so having kept a couple of these really important things from Starr and sharing with the others was pretty out of character for me. She ranted and raved things like, "How could you do that?" and "Allie, you lying little snipe!" But after a while, and a lot of coaxing from the girls, she saw my point of view and couldn't find anything else to argue about.

Instead she started cursing Brad so vehemently that we even had Victoire rolling on her mattress with laughter. She wasn't really one to laugh at other people's misfortune, but I guessed she'd made the exception for Brad because he was such an ass.

"I swear, Saturday on the pitch," Starr was saying as we got into our pajamas, "that I am going to purposely make him fall off his broom or get hit by a Bludger or something."

"You'd be down a player if he got seriously injured, you know," Melody pointed out as she braided her long brown hair.

"True, but it would be worth it to see him injured and flat on his back after what he's put Allie through."

"Just don't let Jase see you doing that one, or else he'll suspend your ass and then he'll be down two players," I laughed.

"Jase, oh yeah…what are you doing about him now then? I mean, now that Brad's not holding you back?"

I shrugged as I pulled back my covers. "Nothing I guess."

"You still love him though," she asked.

"Of course," I returned. "I'll probably love him until I'm eighty-eight, old and wrinkly, but I can't really do anything right now that that sex-goddess cuddled in the crook of his arm."

"We could always get rid of her," Gigi suggested. Her stunted violent nature towards Bradley was then brought out again against Nikki. "Take her ass out and send her back to Aussie-land."

"I don't want to 'take her ass out' as you so graciously put it," I argued. "Well, I mean I would, but would that give me time to show Jase just how ugly she really is, I mean personality-wise at least?"

"What's your idea then?" Melody asked.

"Not sure yet," I shook my head and pulled a book into my lap. "I want to expose her, you know? I want to show Jase all the nasty things that she's pulled, like the looks she's giving me, or something else. I just know that something else is in her little bag of tricks that she's not telling. She's been too chipper."

"She's been chipper ever since you started 'dating' Brad," Starr pointed out.

"That's true," I admitted realizing Starr was right. "Maybe when she finds out tomorrow that we're no longer an item she'll bust something."

"It would give us something on her to say the least," Gigi said crawling into bed. "We're going to have to dig a little deeper for that one."

"We should start a detective agency," Vic said giggling a little bit. "All this deeper and investigative stuff would give us a perfect start."

I laughed, "Yeah, except you're going into fashion, Melody is going to sing the world to her feet, Starr is the Queen of Quidditch, Gigi is going to climb Mount Everest, and I'm going to bury myself in a library as soon as we get out of school."

Vic shrugged as she ducked into her bed. I let that idea roll over in my mind however. It would be cool to go into business with my friends, and we were getting good at the whole detective stuff that Vic mentioned.

I lifted my book and began reading as I mulled it over and soon I was lost in the story. I could easily stay there too, in the world inside and marvel at each passing word as I continued to turn the pages. My eyes were finally drooping as I came to the last page. It was a good story. I'd have to get another book tomorrow though because this chapter was over.

The next morning as the five of us scampered down to the Great Hall for breakfast I had a big smile plastered on my face that couldn't seem to go away. It wavered momentarily as I sat down across the table from Teddy who was sitting beside Jase and Nikki, but after that I didn't think twice about it. If I just imagined that I was there for Teddy or Alec's friendship then it made everything seem that much better.

My eyes glistened all the more when I caught Nikki's eye and she looked like she was going to bend her spoon in half. It looked like she was a little more than disappointed that I was no longer occupied with Brad, or vice versa. Brad came waddling into the Hall just before the bell rang for first class and Nikki's look flashed a brilliant red. Ooh, she was angry, which meant two things to me: 1) I was happier than a clown knowing I'd done something to royally piss her off and; 2) I was curious as to why she looked so upset at Brad. He was practically shaking in his shoes with the evil glare she was giving him. Interesting.

I sat beside Gigi and Starr in first period Charms and the three of us practiced on the new charm that Professor Nettles was instructing today. It was just a hunch, but I had to follow it. "I think something's up between Brad and Nikki," I told the girls.

"What do you mean?" Starr asked as she whipped her charm across the room to the bookcase.

"I mean that Nikki looked mad at me, sure, but when she saw Brad I thought her hair was going to burst into flames and Brad nearly had a stroke."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Gigi said. She dipped her head towards mine, which prompted Starr to do the same. "Do you think Nikki's fooling around on Jase with Brad?"

"Whoa," I said as I processed her words. That was a huge accusation…but if the shoe fits? "I'm not sure."

"That would fry Nikki's bacon to the point of black if that were true," Starr said. "If we could dig the dirt on that story we could practically put the postage stamp on her ass right beside the boot mark that Jase gives her when he finds out. She'd be history."

"We're getting ahead of ourselves," I said. "If Jase finds out before we have the evidence he'll think it's another ploy I'm making up to get rid of her."

"True," Gigi said. "Oh but if we could get rid of Nikki the world would be perfect again. Just think about it."

I laughed, "Oh I am thinking about it, girl am I ever!"

"Ladies," Professor Nettles came up to us just then to tower over us. She was a really tall witch. "What are we discussing?"

So, the usual response to that kind of question is 'nothing', right? Well none of us had the sense to answer that, which means we all answered differently and then turned a bright red colour because of that. Professor Nettles put her hands on her hips looking less than impressed. "Get back to work ladies, or I'll be forced to dock points." She walked away after she'd scolded us and we diligently went back to work on our charms.

Lunch took a turn for the worse when in the middle of my egg salad sandwich, Professor Longbottom, head of Gryffindor house, came up and asked to speak with me. I wasn't buddy-buddy with the professors, so I knew this couldn't be good. We walked up the first flight of stairs, down the hall and went into the second door on the right. When I walked into Professor Longbottom's office my stomach immediately dropped when I saw Nikki standing there, a smirk on her face that that was immediately replaced with concern, and Brad!

Brad looked awful. There was a bright purple bruise under his left eye, his right eye was swollen shut and his bottom lip was bleeding. He favoured his right side as he tried to stand as the Professor entered.

"Don't get up, Mr. Coogan," Longbottom said stepping forward to ease Brad back into the comfy chair.

"What's…uh…this all about, Professor?" I asked.

Longbottom turned and went to sit behind his desk. "It seems, Miss Graham, you have some explaining to do."

"Me, Professor?"

"Miss Delarouso here says that you assaulted Mr. Coogan outside of first period this morning after class."

My mouth gawked open, "What? That's bullshit!"

"Language, Miss Graham," Longbottom said sternly. "Now, tell me exactly where you were after first period, and make it the truth because I can have Professor Dibbs produce some Veritaserum in a second if its needed."

I exhaled some air and my muscles locked up. Nikki was not going to get away with this. "After first class, um…Charms with Professor Nettles, I went back to Gryffindor tower to get the text book I'd forgotten for next class and then stopped by the washrooms before going to Transfiguration."

"And you were by yourself this entire time?" Longbottom deduced leaning forward to put his elbows on his desk.

Shit! I wasn't going to get off this. This was ridiculous and totally unfair. I had seen Brad this morning and despite my want to harm him, I knew for sure that I didn't. "Yes," I said getting angrier instead of the guilt that the Professor was looking for.

Professor Longbottom nodded at me. "Nikki, would you please tell me again what you saw."

Nikki's sniffles were going to make me gag, and the sweet and innocent tone of voice that lilted from her mouth made me want to leap across the room and throttle her. Good to know that those feelings weren't going anywhere with time, eh. "I was walking out of the washroom after Allie had been in and walked down the hallway towards next period class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I saw Allie kicking someone curled up on the ground. She didn't know I was there and so she just walked away to go to class I think. When I went over I found that it was Brad, his face was all banged up like this, and he was saying that Allie hated him."

"Is that true Miss Graham?" Longbottom asked. "Do you hate Mr. Coogan?"

"No! Well, yes, but I would never beat him up. Do I look like the kind of person to beat someone up? And look at my knuckles," I showed Longbottom the backs of my hands. "Wouldn't I be bruised as well if I beat him up?"

Longbottom nodded, "You said you hated him, Miss Graham. Why is that?"

My eyes narrowed, "Its personal Professor Longbottom. It gives me grounds enough to hate him but never grounds enough to beat him senseless. Nothing would give me reason to physically assault someone. Ever!"

Longbottom was shaking his head. "I'm sorry Miss Graham, but I'm afraid that your defense isn't enough to make you innocent. I have no choice but to believe Miss Delarouso here and award you a weeks' worth of evening detentions. Lines Monday night, Miss Graham, so please meet me here at eight o'clock with a quill and ink bottle."

"You've got to be kidding me?" I yelled, completely outraged. "This is stupid; I didn't do anything to him!"

I looked at Brad pointedly. His scared demeanor last night was still present through his banged up face but when our eyes met there was some kind of resolve in place to prevent me from getting through to the real him. "Yes, you did," he muttered.

Professor Longbottom stood again. "Miss Delarouso, please take Mr. Coogan to the Hospital wing. He can spend the night there. Miss Graham, I shall see you Monday night."

Nikki and Brad left and I stormed out the door after them. Nikki was helping Brad walk, as if he really needed the assistance, and as if she was really a caring and concerned person, but I knew better.

"Nikki!" I growled and came up to stand in front of her. She feigned innocence and fear for the briefest of moments before the smirk replaced them. "You're not going to get away with this!"

"On the contrary," Nikki replied, "I believe I've been getting away with a lot of things that you're never going to know about, little princess. Detention for you, victory for me," she said sarcastically as she walked down the corridor with Brad attached to her once again.

"Bitch!" I revolved and continued back up the corridor to Gryffindor Tower.

"Bitch!" Starr belted when I'd told the girls what had happened to me this morning. I'd gone through the entire day fussing and fuming about Nikki's little stunt and then I hadn't been able to hold onto it any longer. We returned to the dorm room before heading down for dinner again and I spilled the beans.

"My feelings exactly," I agreed.

"Ditto," Melody said.

"Okay, now we have to take her down!" Gigi declared punching her fist into her open hand. "We're gonna burn that little slut."

"I want to cut her hair off," Vic announced from her bed. "And maybe wax off her eyebrows."

I couldn't help by laughing. "You little hellion, you," I told her.

"Positively evil," Starr said going over and giving Vic a one armed hug.

"I'm serious," Vic stated. "She doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as us. How can someone be so cruel and vindictive?"

"She didn't grow up around you, sunshine," Melody joked. "But really, I know what you mean."

"It's time to start sneaking around, I'd say," Gigi said. "It's time to tail that girl and find out what all these 'lots of things' are that she's getting away with."

"Not right away," I objected. "We'll start after my detentions are finished. I don't want to have to be writing lines for the rest of the school year if we get in shit for anything else." I also wanted to take a week breather before starting anything new. Seventh year was exhausting, I decided, and the half over part wasn't nearly as scary as the half that was yet to come.


	14. Objective  Demolish Nikki

**Chapter Fourteen: Objective – Demolish Nikki**

I have never considered before how utterly miserable I might be if I ever lost my best friend. There wasn't any need to before because we were so tight, we did everything together, and we rarely fought. We were both stubborn really, and independent minded, but we fit together so nicely that losing him had always been inconceivable. But now that I have lost him, and now that I am working my way through this self-assurance resolve or whatever, I really do feel his loss.

It was there at the beginning of course, mostly because he crushed my hopes and dreams of being with him, at least not without a struggle. But after a month without him in my life there's this hollow feeling where he used to be and I can't seem to fill it. I'm not despairing because I love him and he loves someone else, not really. Mostly I'm saddened by the truth that even if we get past this one thing and become friends again, which doesn't seem to be anywhere on the horizon, we'll always have it between us.

If I get past Nikki's netting that she's laid up all around Jase, and I fight past the thorns and venomous looks that she gives me and if I somehow find the courage to talk to Jase again, it'll never be the same, and that hurts more than anything else in the world right now.

Empowering me isn't very hard when I have four really upbeat friends beside me to help. It's easy to forget about the pain and hurt that this falling out has caused me, and it's easy to be happy and laugh all the time. But that doesn't erase those deeper feelings; it just covers them up for a while.

I got to think about those kinds of feelings a lot during my week of detention with Professor Longbottom. I wrote lines for the first couple of nights, helped other detention students polish the trophies and plaques in the Trophy Room for the next two nights, and come Friday I felt like Professor Longbottom was feeling sorry for me and he let me go an hour early. I hadn't made a single complaint. I took the unfair punishment for the crime I did not commit, letting Nikki get away with her cruel schemes, and I suppose Longbottom took pity on me.

Three or more hours every night didn't seem very fair to me, especially since the homework I received in all of my classes was punishment enough and I had to do that after getting back from detention each night. But I took it lying down. I wouldn't fight a teacher because I knew that Nikki had gotten her hooks in him long before he came and found me. I didn't put my back up or defend myself when Longbottom told me to write: _I will not cause bodily harm to my fellow classmates, _mostly because I knew winning wasn't an option, and a week of detention wouldn't really make any difference in the long run.

Besides, my fight wasn't with the Professor. It was with Nikki, and I wouldn't waste perfectly decent energy beating my head against a brick wall when I really needed to shatter the fancy crystal vase that was Nikki's world. I just hoped that breaking her would be as easy as breaking one of my Aunt Barb's crystal vases back in my fourth year.

Over the five nights I had detention I thought a lot about Jase and the memories we'd gathered over the years. Even in my misery of being without him, I was still able to smile and remember all the good times we'd culminated. It felt good to reminisce, even if I was doing it by myself. There was still a large chunk of me without my resolve that longed for his company, even in a friendly capacity.

I came to the conclusion that I should talk to him. We should definitely work things through, to get to where we had been before. I didn't want to pressure him into going past that, especially with Nikki sniffing around, but I really needed my best friend.

The week was over and it was the middle of January. Despite my feelings and my need for a best friend though, I wasn't free to talk to Jase, not really.

First there was the obvious reason that Nikki was out for blood, my blood, and she would go to any lengths to get it. We were going to start stretching those lengths out and looking at them very closely very soon, as far as the girls and I went, and if we found some skeletons then all the better. I wasn't able to speak to Jase freely though for my fears and my irritations regarding Nikki. She would come at me tenfold if she found out I was talking to Jase again. It was past the time for innocent friendship pretenses and so she would make her hatred of me known as sure as the sun rises and sets each day.

Second there were my friends, who were all in agreement that Jase hadn't really tried that hard to talk to me a few weeks back when we'd returned from the Christmas break. I felt kinda upset about that as well because he really hadn't tried any harder. Of course Gigi had been pretty scary when she'd slammed the door in his face that night, but it didn't seem like that was enough to stop Jase. He had always been a fighter and his lack of fight for our friendship was a little harder to stomach that the fact that Nikki was holding him back.

My friends collectively decided that if Jase wanted to talk to me he would come and until then I shouldn't be putting myself out on that limb to work things out if he wasn't making the same effort. But then I thought that because we were both so stubborn we would never work things out because neither of us would care to admit we'd done wrong. And that, in short, scared the hell out of me.

Finally, the last reason I wasn't free to talk to Jase, which really was as pathetic as any excuse I could imagine, was the load of homework that had piled up in my week of detention. Several essays and papers were due daily, assignments, charts, spells and charms to practice were all any of us really had time to talk about. What's the answer to number 3? How many fly-wings are in this potion again? Did you say really hard or mealy and hard, when referring to this particular plant? Homework, the lamest excuse in the world not to talk to my best friend, was tying me down left, right and center.

And it just kept on coming. I got up and dressed every day, went to breakfast, first classes of the day, got at least four assignments to do that afternoon, due in a few days. Then lunch was next, and every day except Friday, I dreaded the classes that came after my egg salad sandwiches or Tuscan meatball soup with farfalle noodles because I was sure to get four more assignments plus a bonus one if Professor Alcott or Professor Longbottom was feeling generous. Then I would homework from four in the afternoon, sometimes skip dinner I was so engrossed in it, and work right until ten or eleven at night. And that's right, homework had now become a verb.

One week would end and I would have a few moments of freedom to be with friends without the homework handicap and we'd talk and relax or go into Hogsmeade. But then Sunday night would bring the eventual Monday morning and it would start all over again.

It was Valentine's Day before I knew it and I had to watch a very disgusting although very cute show of devotion from Starr and Andy as they gave each other heart-shaped cards with little reminders of how much they loved one another inside. There was chocolate and pink hearts everywhere, and even a hearsay rumor about a few love potions being mixed into unsuspecting victims drinks. Come February 15th there was a record amount of seven fights in the Great Hall at breakfast from all the 'love' the previous day, another one at lunch that involved two girls instead fighting over the same guy, and then two in the library after classes that had some girls throwing books at their guys. Needless to say that somewhere in the back of my mind I was glad that I wasn't involved in any of the Valentine's Day festivities.

Oh, and some more news, Melody and Chase are indeed an item now. Its very different for those two however, as they seemed to almost hide the fact that they're together, but at the same time everyone knows that they are. I label what they have as a 'Mature Relationship' despite the fact they've only been back together for a couple of weeks. They hold hands, but they don't cuddle and they don't have great snogfests where everyone can see them. Sometimes Melody would come back to the dorm and I would know exactly where she'd been, but she wouldn't blab about how romantic he was or how hot he was or any of the things that other girls said about Chase Hamilton. It was more like she and Chase were an old married couple who didn't fight or act like an old married couple, but understood the wants and needs of each other enough to get along famously. It was really cute.

February slipped away into March as silently as a ghost and to everyone's surprise the homework load lessened.

"It's weird," Starr was saying one day in the library as she shuffled away all her books. "I had one assignment to do today and it was totally easy. What is going on with the professors?"

"I know," Vic agreed sitting beside Teddy. "Nettles gave us one charm to practice for the weekend this morning and I mastered it over lunch."

Melody moved some of her papers around as she organized them at the table. "Sometimes I think that the Professors are cruel sadists who like playing God and watching lesser people suffer." She looked up and grinned. "But not today it would seem because I didn't receive a single assignment. I am home free for the weekend."

I laughed, "Same. I don't even have anything to work ahead on I'm so home free."

"Work ahead?" Teddy gave me a questioning look. "You actually do that kind of thing?"

I nodded, "Yep. Not in the past month or so, but I have done it before."

"Why?"

I shrugged, "Something to do."

"You're weird!" Teddy exasperated.

"You're a mutant," Alec agreed.

"She's Superwoman without the underwear over her tights," Gigi chimed in.

I snorted in a very unladylike manner and laughter went up around the table.

These were the friends, along with Andy who was an extension of Starr these days, who had remained my friends after word got around that I supposedly beat up Bradley Coogan.

Nikki of course had spread that one and it caught on faster than wildfire. Since the girls were on my side and Andy and Teddy would get their asses whooped if they thought any different, they'd also stuck up for me. Jase had been pulled away even though I got the funny feeling that he didn't buy it either. He hadn't voiced his opinion, no one really had, but then again I didn't expect anyone to. Alec was in agreement for two reasons; because Nikki's story had holes in it, and I would never beat anyone up ever in my life. He seemed to think I was a kindred spirit who wouldn't hurt a fly, which was very flattering really.

But as a refraction of those events, Nikki and Jase had moved to another table, Brad had healed and done the same. The three of them sat over at the table across the library from us looking very discontent, save for Nikki who always seemed very pleased with herself, and not talking to any of us. Brad still communicated to Alec, Teddy, Starr and Andy because they were on the Quidditch team together, but he wouldn't have anything to do with the rest of us, and I didn't find that such a tragedy in the slightest. I was just sad that Jase had taken the bait and pulled away.

Just then Gigi spoke up in a sort of hushed tone that brought everyone closer to the center of the table. "Hey, is everybody up for a little spy work this weekend then, especially if homework is light?"

"Spy work?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, we're going to expose Nikki for the mean and nasty person she is," Melody said. "We're going to dig some dirt up on her and fry her ass."

"Sweet," Andy expressed enthusiastically. "What's the plan then?"

"Tail her, in secret of course," Starr said. "We've also got a kind of lead, right Allie?"

"It was mentioned earlier, yes," I nodded. "When Brad and I 'broke up'," for a lack of a better term, "Nikki looked super pissed not just at me, but at Brad as well. We got to thinking and decided that maybe Brad was fooling around with Nikki and doing her favours like keeping me away from Jase."

"What could Nikki do to convince Brad to do that though?" Vic asked.

The guys looked at each other and then answered all at once, "Sex."

"Sex?" Melody looked disgusted. "With that_ thing_?" she nodded over in Nikki's direction.

"It's a powerful thing," Alec finally said flushing red a little. "Sex with Nikki to someone like Brad or any average human being would seem like walking on Cloud Nine."

"Of course," I smacked my hand to my forehead.

"'Of course' what?" Teddy asked. "You look happy about this. I don't get it."

"Me neither," Alec admitted.

However the girls didn't seem to think as the guys did, as the case always was, and both Starr and Gigi started rubbing their hands together greedily, "Ooh this is going to be good," Melody voiced.

"What's going to be good?" Andy asked. "God I'm so confused."

Victoire laughed, "You guys wouldn't get it. Of course the actual act isn't good, obviously, but if we can catch the two together then we'll have evidence enough to win back Jase."

"Jase has crossed to the dark side, I'm afraid," Alec said. "He's a good guy and a good friend, but when it comes to that woman, she's got a hold of him by the balls. You had better gather lots of evidence against her or else Nikki's claws won't loose on Jase a single inch."

I grimaced. I hated to think about it, but Alec was right. Jase would follow Nikki around like a little lost puppy and defend her honor till his death, so if we found anything on Nikki it had better be good, concrete stuff or else it wouldn't hold worth crap. "I suppose it can't all be simple then," I released a sigh.

"What about the whole jealous thing?" Gigi asked. "Like Andy and Starr with Chase and Melody tag-teaming them. For this we don't need two, just a guy who's got balls enough to cozy up to Nikki when she asks."

I shook my head, "I've already thought of that. If Jase catches Nikki with someone else he's sure to go after the guy over Nikki. It'd be way too risky. We need something sneakier."

"Well she won't trust any of us," Melody pointed out, "so there's no use in trying to befriend her in any way."

"No, you're right there as well. I think the only thing we can do is follow her around and see what she gets up to really."

"That's not going to be very easy," Alec said.

"What else have we got?" I asked him. "We've already spent every other option. Maybe something else will present itself later. Right now we're going to have to stick to following her around; keeping a set of eyes on her everywhere except for the classes we're in where she can't get into trouble and her dorm room."

"Who do we know that bunks with her in the dorm?" Starr asked.

I blinked at Starr, "I'm not sure. Do you think any of the girls she's rooming with would trust us though?"

"Can't hurt, can it?" Gigi pointed out. "I mean we've known anyone else in her dorm for longer than they've known her. It'd be worth a shot."

"Okay good, we're going to have to work that one out though because I couldn't honestly tell you who else is in that room," I laughed a little.

"Isn't Amy Roberts in that room?" Victoire pondered. "I seem to recall watching her drift in there."

"Maybe."

"And Jessyca Simmons as well," Gigi added. "Jess and Amy are really good friends."

"Shit!" I muttered.

"What's the problem?" Alec asked at my sudden curse.

"Amy and Jessyca both used to date Jase. Either they love Nikki for being on his ass now or they hate her. Either way neither is going to help us out. They couldn't think less of me than Nikki does, but it would be close I'm guessing."

"Scratch, scratch," Melody figuratively ticked off Amy and Jess from our potential list of allies.

"Two down, two to go," Victoire sighed. "We're running out of options here."

"Well, who else is in that dorm then?" I asked.

"Lydia McCormack," Gigi snapped her fingers when it came to her. "She's in that room. She's in our Transfiguration class before lunch on Wednesday's. Is she safe?"

I laughed, "I'm sure she's safe Gigi, it's a matter of if she is a plus or a minus on our ally chart. Lydia's nice, a sweet girl. She's really smart too. She must have a hell of a time hanging out in that dorm room."

"Yeah," Melody agreed. "Her and Alisha are always going on about how Nikki, Jess and Amy are the bitchiest people they've ever known."

"Alisha? Why didn't you mention that to us before?" I asked her raising my eyebrows at her.

Melody shrugged, "It just came to me now. They're in Ancient Runes with me. Alisha Sanderson and Lydia McCormack, the two unlikeliest friends are tighter than sisters but once in a while I strike up a conversation with them. Do they have any offense against you, Allie?"

I rolled my eyebrows, "No. Neither of them has dated Jase, and I don't think either of them has been in serious like with him before to even consider dating him. They could help. It also looks like they hate Nikki as much as the rest of us."

"Nobody can hate Nikki as much as you Allie," Gigi said giving me a solid pat on the back. "But I'm sure they come pretty close."

I gave her a quick smile, "Aww, thanks Gigi." Laughing I then said, "So we've got a few friends on the inside. Let's use it our advantage ladies."

"Hey!" Teddy exclaimed. It was almost like us girls had forgotten the guys were there.

I reached out and patted Teddy on the hand and said, "Don't worry Teddy; your secrets are safe with us."

Melody and Starr burst out laughing. Starr one arm-hugged Andy who hadn't taken any offense to being called a lady and Alec's eyes just sparkled so I knew he was just amused by Teddy's reaction.

My eyes slid in Jase's direction. His back was to our table with Nikki beside him. This was one of the things I hated about not talking to Jase; that we would plan these kinds of things against his girlfriend. It seemed so backstabbing, and I'm sure if he overheard us then he'd see it that way, but really it was for his own good. I hoped he'd see that in the end. I hoped that he would come to me in the end and tell me what an asshole he'd been this entire year and that Nikki had poisoned his mind. Wishful thinking, I know, but it felt wrong to be without my best friend. I would reclaim him at whatever costs, and if that meant his anger and hatred when we finally torched the bitch at his hip then fine, but at least she'd be gone. He'd be able to regain consciousness away from her sexy body and remember the person he'd been when we were together.

His head turned to the side and I got a good view of his profile, his brow set in a firm line at whatever he was working on. His eyes darted to the side I could see and I could have sworn there was some kind of regret there hidden behind those lids as he looked at me, but it was gone before I could even register it. I could feel something between us still, I just wondered if Jase would ever be man enough to admit that it was more than the friendship we'd forged for the past six years.

"We'll meet here tomorrow morning after Quidditch practice then?" I asked the others who had started up another conversation in my thoughtful absence.

"Sure," Alec nodded his head. "Can Tracy come along?"

"By all means," I agreed. "The more the merrier. We girls will keep tabs on Nikki in the morning and then we'll split up with different assignments etcetera, blah, blah, blah, and all that jazz."

"I'm impressed, Allie," Victoire commended.

"Why?"

"You're really up on those 'blah, blah, blah' details aren't you?"

The joking look in her eyes couldn't hide any more and we all burst out laughing. I crunched up a piece of paper that was in front of me and hurled it across the table at Vic's face. It hit Teddy instead. Teddy chucked it back at me and hit me square on the nose saying, "You're aim sucks, Graham." Sticking my tongue out at him the rest of the table just continued to chuckle.

From an outsider's perspective it would never look like we were in fact a studious group of seventeen-year-olds it. We were goofing around, making jokes and laughing our butts off. We didn't get rowdy enough to get kicked out, but the stern looks that the librarian was giving us came close to scaring us off in any case. Nobody would ever guess that we were all straight 'O' students with the exception of a few 'Es' in certain subjects. And they would certainly never know that we'd just been plotting a major emissary scheme against our friend's girlfriend.


	15. Provoking a Dragon

**Chapter Fifteen: Provoking a Dragon**

Getting up the next morning was something of a struggle. I had a good feeling about today, but when it came time to wake and actually go and do something with that good feeling I was hesitant. Nikki was sly and I wouldn't put anything past her, so I knew that tailing her might also be something of a struggle, but not as much as getting out of bed had been. My eyelids were clasped shut and they refused to open, even with Starr's constant nattering and the early morning sounds that usually filled the dorm room. I just wanted to roll over and bury deep in the comforter and not rise. I was not so lucky however, because soon Gigi had gotten fed up with my delaying and she came over, stole my pillow and whacked me over the head with it.

"Alright, damnit, what is your issue?" I groaned.

"You've been burrowing your head in the sand like a bloomin' ostrich for the past half hour, Allie. I should be the one asking what your issue is, not the other way around," she placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow at me. I'd known her for too long to be intimidated by that look and instead rolled my eyes.

I brushed off the covers with purpose and stood likewise and looked at Gigi expectantly, "You happy now, sunshine?"

"Lose the attitude, smarty-pants," she replied. "I thought you'd be happy about today. And its nine thirty, we let you sleep in. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I defended as I made my way to the bathroom. I shut the door, turned on the shower tap and let the warm water wake me up in a much nicer manner than Gigi, who had failed miserably at that task.

Thinking over what she'd said I asked myself what really was wrong. I didn't have a clue. I had slept fine really. There was nothing askew with that. And then it hit me; the bad dream I'd had. As soon as the image flashed before my eyes I wished to God that I could just leave well enough alone and forget the whole night, but it was too late now. Nikki was right there in my mind, white dress, lace veil, walking down the aisle towards my best friend. Jase had looked grim and devastatingly handsome in his black suit and far from happy. Nikki looked majestically triumphant. I had been sitting in the front row and watched the entire episode as clear as day.

Brad had been in the background looking awfully sad, not just at Nikki, which I had expected, but at me as well. Why was he looking sad at me? Did he miss me or something? It couldn't be like that really because of his blackmail, but there was that niggling in my mind that told me otherwise. It gave me all the more reason to believe that Brad was innocent in all this and as used and battered and I was.

The dream had faded as the preacher had said, "I now pronounce you man and wife, and you may now kiss the bride." I should have woken up screaming by all accounts. I should have been clawing my eyes out at the kiss that Jase and Nikki had shared. But I didn't. My dream shifted from the wedding to a library where I pictured myself curled up in a comfy chair reading as the sun set through the window.

I banged my head against the tiled shower wall and was immediately hit with a flash of pain that, for some reason, made me feel instantly better.

Someone rushed into the bathroom. Melody's voice reached me past the streaming water. "Allie? Are you alright? We heard a sort of crash."

I brushed back the curtain to look at Melody. "Fine, just hitting my head repeatedly off the wall." I smiled brightly at her.

She smiled right back. Apparently Melody and I were going to get along much better than Gigi and I today. "Well if that's all I'll let you know that Victoire and Gigi have gone to the common room to rustle up Lydia and Alisha if they can manage. I was heading out as well when I heard the clatter. Starr's waiting for ya."

"Brilliant," I waved my hand at her as I replaced the curtain and she laughed as she went out the door.

I took a deep and steadying breath letting the water run all over my face and decided that it was time to face the firing squad. If all else failed I still had my girl friends to back me up.

It didn't take me very long to dress and I decided, rather than taking the time to blow-dry my hair, I would see if Starr could give me a French braid. I walked out of the bathroom in my terry-cloth robe and asked her.

"Sure thing, Alls," she replied cheerfully. "Come sit down here." She patted at the pillow she'd placed on the floor beside her bed.

I went over and sat down dutifully and she began to comb her fingers through my hair.

"You know I've always loved your hair," she told me.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, ever since first year I have adored the color, the sheen, everything. Do you remember the style I had in first year?"

I thought for a second. "Yeah, it was kind of bushy and straggly if I recall correctly."

Starr chuckled, "Yeah that would be it. Then in second year I had chopped it all off."

"I remember," I said.

"I cut it short remembering how short you kept it. Cut off right at the jaw line with the little flip it did at the sides and back. I don't really know what I liked about it. I guess it just looked…intelligent, to me at least."

"Intelligent?" I asked dubiously. "But Starr, you've always been smart. A haircut doesn't depict intelligence in a person."

"I know that now. But I wanted to be like you. You were smart, funny, a little shy, and you weren't afraid to show that."

"That's silly," I admonished.

"Maybe," Starr admitted. "But what have you, it's the truth. Then you came to school this year with your hair all grown out. It was kind of a shocker."

I nodded, "Yeah, it was definitely different."

"Why did you grow it out?" she asked.

"It was time for a change," I shrugged. "I figured that was what attracted guys. Long and flowing hair that wasn't short and fuzzy."

Starr laughed shortly. "Is that what you thought? Well, most I'm sure enjoy it, but I'm sure it's supposed to be that a guy will love you no matter the haircut you get. Andy said he likes my short hair," she confessed. "But he also said that in first year he didn't mind it either."

I smiled. She had a good point. "Do you think that you're going to change the cut you have now then?"

"I'm not sure. I'd like to try different things but I like the short cut really. It's cute, contained and makes me look young."

"Of course it does," I laughed. "Do you honestly like my hair now then?"

Her fingers were finished playing with the strands of wet hair. "There, all done." I ran my hand over the length of the single French braid she had given me and smiled. I'd never been able to have a French braid before because my hair was always so short. But I'd seen Starr give Melody and Victoire French braids before. It seemed to be a traditional girl ritual and I was glad to be a part of it now.

I moved to sit beside her on the bed. She still hadn't answered my question. She took my hand then. "Allie," she said, "I'm old enough now to understand that hair doesn't make a woman. Sure it gives us style and if it's long and flowing it's usually something to envy and sometimes appealing, but it doesn't make a woman. Outer beauty doesn't really count all the much."

I nodded, her words sinking into my very skin. I think I needed to hear that. So I joked, "So you don't like my hair?" I was smiling ear to ear.

Starr shoved me gently. "Of course I do, silly. It makes you look even more grown up than the fuzzy bob-cut you used to wear." She leaned forward and hugged me. "I love it," she told me.

"Thank you."

We ended the hug, I returned to my bed and my trunk to retrieve my clothes for the day. I dressed and put on my glasses finally before standing beside Starr and preparing myself for what seemed to me like a very busy and complicated day.

Starr seemed to know exactly what to say to make me feel better about that weighty burden however. "Let's go terminate that little blonde cockroach," she said with a smile on her face.

I laughed as we walked down the stairs and into the partially empty common room. The meeting in the library was going to be interesting, I decided.

* * *

I was glad to find out in the library that both Alisha and Lydia were on board and would love to help crush the blonde cockroach in mention and they were giving us all wonderful details about her dorm life…kind of.

"She doesn't like us," Alisha, a bouncy girl with cappuccino colored skin and wide brown eyes, announced. Her hair was short and wiry but suited her bone structure and laid-back style. "She's barely said one word to us since moving in there. She mostly huffs and snorts when we're talking."

"Mhmm," Lydia agreed. She was a short, tiny girl. Her size rivaled that of Gigi's at five foot two but she instead dressed like Victoire with a few more frills and rather ugly shoes. She was more committed to her schoolwork than anything else. "But we've heard lots of stories. She blabs to Jessyca and Amy all the time."

"What does she say?" Gigi asked.

We were all seated around a table, minus Victoire and Teddy who were currently on Nikki-patrol. They'd volunteered. Andy, Starr, Alec, Tracy, his girlfriend, Starr, Melody, Gigi and myself all crowded around our regular table with our two newcomers, eager to learn more about their rabid roommate.

"Well," Alisha looked from Gigi to her friend hesitantly, "she brags a lot. She brags about Jase mostly."

"Oh boy," I muttered. "How does that go over with Jess and Amy?" Both of whom had dated Jase and trampled all over his heart.

"They seem to mostly reminisce about how he was with them, really," Lydia admitted shyly. "They talked about kissing and the things they do." She blushed deep red.

Alisha patted Lydia's arm comfortingly. Lydia wasn't used to saying those kinds of things I imagined. "And sometimes they laugh," Alisha continued. "They laugh about the things they've done. It's almost like a game to her. She enjoys being Queen Bee and wants her subjects to worship her. Amy and Jess idolize her. It's rather disgusting."

I nodded gravely. It was as I suspected; Jase was being played for a fool and I was as good as helpless to help him.

"Has Nikki said anything about Brad?" Andy put in.

"Bradley Coogan?" Alisha asked. "Yeah, all the time. I overheard a whispered conversation between her and Jess the other day saying how disappointed she was with Brad. She was pretty pissed about it. She mentioned something like 'the lousy git can't even do a simple task like keeping her occupied, all he can think of is the things I can give him'."

Alisha stopped at that and the group collectively inhaled and exhaled, myself included as we let what she'd said sink in.

"Sexual favours," Alec confirmed. "Brad is a witless fool."

"Dick!" Gigi announced.

"Bitch!" Melody echoed. "Damn Nikki for her schemes. When can we nail her ass to the wall because I'm sick to death of all this drama?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the remark coming from our very own drama queen. I shook my head in dismay and rubbed my hands over my face in mock exhaustion. I wasn't tired, just fed up. "We need to give Vic and Teddy the details and then have a pair of us tail her all the time. One of us at the very least, like in classes and such because she's not likely to do anything in class. It will be deadly boring but I want her to sizzle on a hot griddle before too long."

"Here, here," a few voices rang through the group.

"I guess what I'm really wondering is if you all still want to do this?" I finished and looked around.

Starr, Melody and Gigi spoke up first, all showing their enthusiasm towards the project at hand. They were as eager to get rid of Nikki as I was.

Next came Lydia and Alisha, more Alisha than Lydia however because she was just shy and timid, who agreed to be the interior eyes and ears for news. They were the only ones who could use that dorm without suspicion and they seemed to dislike Nikki as much as the rest of us.

Alec volunteered to look out for Brad and any movements or strange behavior around or having to do with Nikki. Andy seconded that.

Tracy, who I didn't know all that well, was last to speak up, saying that she didn't know Nikki and didn't want to and would be happy to assist us in kicking the crap out of her evil plans.

"Great." Vic and Teddy came in just then. "What's up?" I asked.

"Nikki decided to come to the library with Jase. They'll be here any minute," Vic said in a low voice.

"Scatter," I said to the group.

Immediately we jumped up to look as inconspicuous as humanly possible. A few left the library and a few moved off to another table, mainly Starr and Andy who found that it was in everyone's best interest if they started sucking face. I had to chuckle mildly after finding myself a book and looked around at everyone, all of which had managed to look very casual as Nikki and Jase walked in.

We all seemed to be stifling laughter as they walked past to the table they had only recently claimed as there own. I tried to focus on my book as they passed but my eyes were drawn to the duo. Nikki looked positively glowing in a white sweater and pale blue tights and flats. Jase's face was expressionless and instantly I wished him to look at me.

Our eyes met miraculously and I saw the deep pain and regret in his eyes. It was the first time he'd bothered to look me head on. It was a step, I told myself. There were still several more steps to work through, but I was determined to win his friendship back. I knew stepping on his heart wasn't an option however, so I hoped that this regret and pain I saw was for the fact he hated being with Nikki and not because he simply missed my friendship. If he truly loved Nikki and just missed me at the same time then I was done for. I swore that if I crushed his heart like all those girls in the past I would never forgive myself.

* * *

Sexy is as sexy does, I thought as I watched Nikki flip her hair around and all the men in the Great Hall turned and stared.

Surprising even ourselves, me and my friends had managed to split up the Nikki-tailing pretty evenly and we were getting pretty good at it. We hadn't gotten anywhere in a week, so that was a little on the downside, but we were making progress for sure. We were really close to something; I could feel it in my bones.

Still there was some elusive force that kept us from discovering the true horns and forked tail that she was hiding from the world. She'd walked into the Great Hall just now without Jase and simply flicked her hair and jaws dropped and boys drooled. I found myself thinking that it was her sex appeal that was her weapon as well as her disguise. What if, just trying it on for size, if we discarded her disguise and sex appeal, we would be able to figure out her secrets? The trick was getting her to let down her guard and unleash the she-devil inside.

I mused out loud to my friends around the table. "How do you provoke a dragon that merely seems bored with your efforts and continues to elude you? How do you make it breathe fire if it continues to resist?"

There was a moment of silence. It seemed that everyone was contemplating the question very carefully. A minute passed—I counted—and no one said anything. Apparently despite the quiet contemplation no one had come up with an answer to my question.

Finally Victoire, the person I least expected to get an answer from, spoke up and said, "Hit it at home."

Starr seemed to agree with that idea, "Aim close, but not direct, and make it angry."

"What do we hit a dragon that looks like it has no home though?" I asked.

Andy spoke up then, "Hit its vanity. Take away the very thing that it seems to cherish most and watch the sparks fly."

I looked to my right and saw Nikki had sat down across and a little ways down at the table. She was meshing her long spindly fingers through her platinum blonde hair and the idea popped into my mind. It was wicked and it was cruel and it would probably land me or my friends in detention, if any of the teachers ever found out it was intentional, but somehow I knew we could pull it off.

I rubbed my hands together deviously and everyone seemed to understand I had something, even if I didn't say it. I had a feeling now that Defense Against the Dark Arts class was going to be very satisfying.

* * *

I was lucky to have three out of four girl friends in my Defense class. The only one missing was Victoire who had Muggle Studies. I'd told her the plan, she gave me the thumbs up and Victoire's Seal of Approval, and the plans were set in motion.

We were learning about Waterbyrds, a flying reptile of sorts that hissed steam and water while in flight. It seemed almost ironic that the dreamy Professor Gage had set the stage perfectly for our wicked plans.

"Waterbyrds are dangerous creatures," Professor Gage explained. "They can pierce the nape of your neck with a single tooth at the front of their lower jaw, paralyzing you within seconds, and they will carry you underwater and feed you to their hatchlings. But they have a single weakness, as all creatures usually do. Their weakness is something you might already have guessed. Fire."

I almost wanted to jump up and cheer out loud. Melody gripped my leg under the table however and made me bite my tongue and stay put. Professor Gage was my hero today.

A simple spell exists to repel these watery beasts," he continued, "and because you are all very advanced seventh year students, I saw no reason to deny you hand-to-hand experience with a live Waterbyrd." He drew a sheet off from a large water tank and the class gasped. "This Waterbyrd is recently captured by yours truly, and has been in this tank all weekend. I want everyone to clear their desks to the side of the room, pull out their wands and repeat after me before I release him. He is tethered and chained to the ground by he can still get airborne."

We all did as instructed and Melody, Gigi, Starr and I positioned ourselves around the edges of the classroom, just a little distance away from Nikki. I bit my lip nervously. Luckily Jase wasn't in this class and so we were safe, sort of.

Professor Gage walked to the middle of the room and I saw the Waterbyrd's eyes follow him very closely. Then its eyes darted from side to side at the rest of us. Professor Gage then spoke up with his wand at the ready. "Now repeat after me class: _Inferaro Prevalio."_

The chanted after him a couple of times and I smiled to myself and my friends as I loosely translated the spell; Fire Prevails.

Professor Gage had moved back to the water tank. "Now I want you all to remember that I would never present a dangerous situation without having considered all the risks. I know you are all very capable witches and wizards. If the Waterbyrd looks at you, attack; if not then do not attack. This will hopefully ensure everyone a fair and fighting chance."

I knew that Professor Gage was going to take those safety precautions, meaning that if the Waterbyrd turned in my direction then perhaps all four of us would fire.

Professor Gage popped the lid to the tank and the Waterbyrd burst up from it, finally free of its enclosure. It flapped its wings, splashing us with droplets of water and narrowing its eyes on a few students. Spells went up every which way and the Waterbyrd reared and screeched as the fire hit its skin. It faced Nikki and she let her voice roar with the spell.

She hit him on the side and he turned away from the fire and towards us. It happened in a flash and four voices rang out and wands pointed; two in the direction of the Waterbyrd and two in a different direction.

When our voices finished the spell and panic started to rise at the immense flame that consumed the Waterbyrd, it scrambled over and plunged itself into the tank. There it remained and Professor Gage replaces the lid and secured it tightly and very quickly. Throwing the sheet back over the tank he turned to congratulate the class for a job well done when a shrill cry rent through the air.

Gigi and I were staring in the direction of where our flames had gone and the rest of the class followed suit.

Nikki was dancing frantically around the room, screaming her head off, with her long blonde hair on fire.

Several students rushed forward and performed the simply Aguamenti spell to produce water and douse the fire but the damage had already been done. Her platinum blonde hair that had once been long and luscious was now frizzed, short and slightly blackened at the tips. The fire hadn't hit her scalp, so she was relatively unharmed, but her hair was now shriveled and uneven.

Her face had black smudges from the smoke and with her hair frizzed and now relatively wet, she didn't look like her old self at all. Frankly, I thought, she looked rather unattractive. Lightly I wondered if anyone would find her attractive now. It _was_ just her hair, and as Starr had said before, it didn't make a woman, but it certainly seemed to make this woman more appealing. If her sex appeal and attractiveness was in her hair then we'd certainly torched that asset, literally.


	16. Backbone

**Chapter Sixteen: Backbone **

It's amazing what you can get away with when everyone presumes you a bookworm and not likely to harm anyone on purpose. I thought for sure that once Professor Longbottom found out what had happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts he would find some excuse to give me detention. I'm also sure that Nikki had done her best to produce that result when she went whining off to him after class. But instead I was given a slap on the wrist, told to be more careful where I was aiming my spells, and the whole incident was declared an accident. I couldn't believe my luck.

Gigi was just as lucky while Starr and Melody were given five points each for making the Waterbyrd retreat so thoroughly.

I guess I was on a cloud for the rest of the day, and without Nikki in any of our classes I took that opportunity to enjoy our success.

My only issue came after class while I was walking towards the common room after Transfiguration. I was walking with Melody when Jase caught me. It was the first time he'd looked me straight in the eye in weeks, and despite his anger I couldn't stop the corners of my lips from turning up a bit.

"Did you set Nikki's hair on fire?" he asked accusingly.

I rolled my eyes with my minute smile fading instantly, "Haven't you heard? The professors said it was an accident."

"I'm not interested in what the professor's said Allie. I'm asking you if you did it on purpose." He almost growled at me.

I knew Melody was still standing there beside me. I hoped she wouldn't leave. I raised my eyebrow at her and she shrugged. So, she wasn't going to be much help but at least she was there.

"It wouldn't matter if I lied or told you the truth, Jason, because you won't believe me either way." I took a step around him to walk away.

He caught my arm and I felt a flash of recognition whizz through my body. I almost gasped and let the shiver roll through me but I held my head high and pushed that feeling way down into me. This was how I knew that things weren't over between Jase and me; because he could still get this kind of reaction out of me. "You assume a lot, don't you Allie?" he said.

"For harming you're precious little Nicole what else am I supposed to think? You said never to say anything bad about her again. I haven't said anything, but actions speak louder than words and now this unfortunate 'accident' happens and you're clawing at my throat again. Tell me what else I'm supposed to think?"

He released my arm and his head dropped. Sadness washed over him and I knew I'd struck home. Dear God I hope I didn't hit his heart and wound him deep because I didn't know if I could bear that.

"I suppose you're right," he said looking up again. "You wouldn't know what else to think because you've been avoiding me."

"Who's avoiding who, Jason? As far as I have been able to figure, Nikki's got you on a very short leash. I've always been around; it's you who hasn't made the effort to right things."

"I tried when you came back from break," Jase defended.

"Whoop-di-freaking-doo," I exclaimed, frustrated at both his pathetic attempt to remedy things now, as well as my harsh reactions towards him. He didn't deserve it, but I knew I deserved a little bit of respect and effort after six years of healing his broken heart. "One time doesn't erase everything, Jason. If you really wanted out then you would have tried a little harder, don't you think?"

He started shaking his head, "It's not that simple, Allie…"

I sighed, "It is that simple. Goodbye Jason." I continued walking up the corridor away from Jase with Melody shuffling to catch up with me. I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Damn," I whispered when Melody was beside me once more.

"Agreed," Melody said back. "Allie, I am so proud of you. He needs to step up his act and you didn't take any of his crap. But…"

"But what?"

"This is killing him, I hope you know that. I can spot a fake from miles away and his face wasn't lying even for a second. This is really hard for him."

I stared at my shoes while we walked and conceded, "Yes, I know."

"Do you think its right to make him suffer like this? He's suffering so much already."

I looked at my friend. "I'm not giving up on him Melody. Jase will be my best friend again. But I want him to grow a little backbone and if I have to help him to get it by making him suffer, then so be it. I love him too much to simply give in and take him back. Not with Nikki in the way. This will soon be over and then his suffering will end too, I hope."

* * *

Nikki walked into the Great Hall the next morning with her hair cut short around her jaw line, the blackened frizzy edges cut off, but when she flipped her hair as she'd done the day before nobody stopped and stared. By now the story had gotten around the school about how we'd caught her hair on fire. Instead of ogling stares, Nikki received stifled giggles and whispered voices behind her back. She just wasn't the same without her hair.

"It can't be that easy," I said to myself.

Starr piped up beside me, "It isn't. She's going to try and get you back now. She's totally out for revenge."

I looked back towards Nikki at the words and I saw the flash of rage behind the blonde's eyes that should have startled me senseless but I'd known this was coming. I turned back to the table. "I guess we're going to have to double our efforts to catch her in the act then."

Gigi nodded her head behind me, "Brad."

I looked and saw Brad walking in with a bright smile on his face. Huh, weird, he hadn't had a smile on his face for a long time. That could only mean… "Damnit! We just missed."

Andy was shaking his head, "Nope, never fear. When Brad looks like that, the look usually only gets bigger and brighter. We may have missed round one, but we're going to be there for round two."

"It's kind of a nasty thought," Victoire admitted with a scowl on her face, "but if we play it right and Jason is around, and Allie you can't be implicated, then we might have a huge fight on our hands."

"And Nikki will get the boot back to Aussie-land and never return," Melody concluded triumphantly.

A slow smile grew on my face. My friends were so diabolical and I never would have pictured myself in this role beside them. That hadn't seemed to stop me though. When I fell in love with Jase I thought this year would be easy, I would remove my glasses, insert contacts and transform from a pumpkin to a beautiful carriage or whatever and we'd live happily ever after. I guess I hadn't figured the evil-stepmother into the mix though, which I was beginning to see was okay. All things considered this year had been eventful and life changing and I knew that I would never forget that struggle. I just hoped it actually paid off.

* * *

Lunch came and went without event and it was nearing the end of the day. I was just getting doubtful that nothing was going to happen when I learned that Jase had called a last minute Quidditch practice. The team didn't practice on Tuesday night usually but I shucked that thought aside knowing that Jase obviously had a good reason.

Gigi and I were on tailing assignment and we stayed a little behind Nikki and Jase the entire way down to the pitch. Nikki was clinging to Jase and he was doing little to push her off. I wondered if he was enjoying the attention he got from her, and if they ever did anything but snog. Jase left to go into the change rooms and Nikki continued up to the stands. But not before turning and giving me another one of her evil glares. Now those were getting to be a little annoying.

Melody, Gigi, Victoire and I went up to the stands as well but sat a long way away from Nikki. She seemed content with filing and buffing her nails as she vaguely watched the team run through their practice. I was surprised however when halfway through the match she got up and headed for the stairs.

"Where's she going?" Gigi asked also noticing.

"Let's find out," I said. "You two stay here," I told Victoire and Melody, "we'll take care of this."

We were sneaking down the stairs and about to make our way to follow Nikki across the lawn to the change rooms when I saw the door swing open and shut and a figure disappeared inside. Gigi and I stuck our heads out from where we were hiding and noticed that only one person was missing from the pitch.

"It looks like Andy was right," Gigi said.

I could only nod. My heart was pounding now that I realized what was coming. I was eager to have this over, and yet I was scared shitless. Nikki disappeared into the change rooms as easy as if she belonged in there. It seemed that sneaking wasn't her intention today or if it was then she was much more casual about it than we had originally thought.

I forced myself to be calm. If Jase walked in on exactly the right time and I was nowhere to be found then Nikki would be history. But if I was close by then he might think I'd set the whole thing up and that would be a strike against me instead of for me.

Gigi and I scuttled across the grass to the change rooms and looking through the little glass window that covered a hole in the door we peered through to see. I'd been in the change room before and knew that to the left there were bathrooms and to the right was the shower stalls. In between we could see the lockers at the back of the room and several benches in between that showed duffle bags and strewn day-clothes from the rest of the team.

What we couldn't see however was where Nikki and her quarry had gone. "Where'd they go?" Gigi whispered to me.

I shook my head. "I can't tell. We have to open the door and see if we can hear anything."

She silently pushed on the door to let it swing open and prayed for silent hinges. We opened it a crack and heard hushed voices coming from the shower stalls on the right. The sultry voice was obviously Nikki's and the husky male voice was Brad's.

I mouthed a question to Gigi, "What are they doing?"

Gigi mouthed back, "I don't know."

I needed to get closer but I dared not open the door any further. I then heard a loud groan and a soft whimper and my eyes widened. Brad and Nikki were having sex in the Gryffindor change room.

I backed up too quickly and bumped into Gigi making her squeal. She clamped both hands over her mouth and we waited to listen if the others had heard. There was a quick shuffle of feet to the left and Gigi and I both moved back around the corner to let the door swing closed. I put my hand on it as I hid behind the wall to keep it from swinging too far out. I bit my tongue and waited for exactly one minute and not a peep sounded from the change room.

I let out a huge gust of air as I sighed with relief. This spying business was sort of a thrill I had to admit. I had never been one for this sort of thing, but I guess a severely bitchy girl with blonde hair that was no longer long and flowing would do that to a person. Especially when that person was in love with _one_ of the boys Nikki was getting off with. But after that moment I was calm and collected. I didn't want this to get too far out of hand.

My eyes slid to Gigi who was staring blankly ahead her eyes wide. I frowned and followed her gaze and my eyes popped in shock.

The entire Quidditch team was standing there, minus Brad of course. Most of them also wore a look of shock, all except Jase however, who was looking more confused than anything else.

Shit!

"Uh…What are you doing?" he said not directing the question at either Gigi or myself. To the right I saw Victoire and Melody descend the staircase from the bleachers and halted when they saw what was going on.

"Um…We were…I was just…" I stammered.

Gigi wasn't making any efforts at all. It seemed that the Jase catching us had silenced her sharp mind and she just stood there and bit her lip.

The door of the change room swung open and Nikki stepped out. She had a glorious smile on her face and she switched to being mildly surprised upon seeing her 'boyfriend', and I use that term very, extremely loosely. "Jase? I didn't think you would finish so soon." She said it so sweetly I cracked my knuckles and wanted to vomit at the lies sliding between her teeth.

"Yeah," Jase replied, his gaze shifting from me to Nikki. "An hour's practice is enough. What…what were doing in the change room?" Brad had opened the door as Jase finished asking his question. I watched the vein in his neck miss a beat and I held my breath.

Nikki turned back to look at Brad sweetly and replied as coolly as ever. "Oh I was looking for your sweater to wear. It was getting kind of chilly out there and I only have this on," she gestured to the thin sweater she was wearing. "I found Brad inside nursing his swollen knuckles and we struck up a conversation."

Jase's eyes narrowed at her and then flipped back to me accusingly. "You didn't answer my question, Allie, Gigi; what were you doing peeking in the doorway?"

I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to tell him, really, please believe me that I did. I just couldn't. There was something holding me back. I still can't figure out what it was. Was it Nikki the look that sent daggers through my soul that she was giving me and the fact that I could actually feel it that made me freeze up? Was it that this was the moment I had been waiting for and it had come up suddenly and I couldn't find the words to tell Jase? I don't know. I'm sad, I know, but I really wanted to be the one to tell him. I just couldn't.

I looked at his face continuously until that moment when I closed my eyes and my head dropped in front of me. I was a sad case and I felt so pathetic right then. The others must have noticed my defeat and soon I found myself surrounded by friends, including Starr who had nudged past Jase to get to me. She came over and enveloped me in a great big hug. I held on for dear life.

My friends all touched some part of me, giving me both the physical as well as the mental support I needed. This was their way of saying I wasn't alone in this.

Starr pulled back and looked me dead in the eye. She brushed her hand across the tears trickling down my cheeks and gave me a smile. "What makes a woman?" she asked.

The first answer that came to my mind also came out of my mouth, "Her hair?"

Starr laughed and punched me lightly in the shoulder. "Not even close. Her love."

I looked around at my four friends. Melody nodded and said, "Fight."

Gigi and Victoire echoed her word in agreement, "Fight."

They stood aside and I was face-to-face with Jase again even if there were a few feet between us. He was eying me suspiciously. I lifted my head and answered his question. "I was spying."

"Spying?"

"Yes, spying. On your girlfriend and Bradley here, who have been sneaking around behind your back. I figured since she was sneaking around on you I would sneak around right along after her and expose her as the fraud she is. You told me once before that you wouldn't hear an insult about your precious Nicole, but I'm not listening to you anymore. Nikki is a slimy, disgusting little slut who doesn't deserve your attention and you don't deserve her deceit. She's been cheating on you with Brad for over five months now, perhaps longer who knows, and she even gave him a little assignment. She practically hired Brad to date me in order to keep me away from you. He blackmailed me into being his girlfriend and although that bit him in the ass as soon as Christmas break was over, he was still holding me against my will. I really should have knocked him out for that, but I didn't. Nikki her must have convinced him that getting beat up would mean reaping more reward later. I never laid a finger on Brad. Though, I think I will now."

I walked over to Brad, balled up my fist and punched him in the nose with all my might.

"OW!" He and I screamed at the same time. To loosen up my hand however, I shook it out and accidentally slapped the jumping up and down Bradley who was desperately holding onto his now-broken nose. Now my hand was blissfully numb, my anger satisfied, and Brad was howling in pain.

I turned back to Jase, not even bothering to make the side-step towards Nikki. She would get hers soon enough. "You are the blindest, most stubborn fool I have ever known Jason Eaven. You have always been my friend and I thought you were a man of action who would learn from the twelve girls before her," I pointed back to where Nikki was standing, "who walked all over you. Where do you get off? Is it worth it being a coward? I spineless, yellowbellied nothing who can't stand up for himself? Grow a damn backbone already Jason!"

I was a foot away from him now and not nearly finished. I had gotten my anger out. I had told him about the guttersnipe. Now it was time for me to pour my heart out and into his hands, come what may. "Nikki never loved you like I did, Jason. She never gave you what I could give you. She was a lying, cheating, manipulative bitch who used you for every inch that you were worth. Then when she got tired of you or when I got in the way of her little scheme, she moved on to someone else who could fulfill her needs.

"It took me two years to figure out that I was in love you Jason, and it took me two years to get up enough courage to finally decide to tell you I wanted more than friendship. When all that is said and done, I never did get that chance because you already had her. I thought I could make you see, but I guess I was wrong. I gave you the chance to get rid of her yourself, but when you didn't take that I had to move on to alternatives. She did a lot of bad things that you needed to know about. No one else was going to tell you. I'm your best friend. I look out for you. I tell you everything, especially when you're being an ass."

I was breathing heavily when my speech finally came to an end. I forgot that I was looking at him and focused on how I felt for a second. I felt relatively good. Scratch that; I felt great, better than ever. Letting all that out, getting it off my chest made me feel so much better. Why hadn't I just done that in the first place?

I laughed softly thinking it was probably because I never would have thought myself as worthy of replacing Nikki. She was gorgeous and beautiful and everything I wasn't. But she was also manipulative and a liar, also making her everything I wasn't. I would never treat Jase as she had done. But I suppose it takes seven months sometimes to think you're precious or a better human being than someone else. It's not true in all cases, but there are some special ones that make you believe you are better because of the bad others cause. Nikki is one of those cases; a head case headed straight back to Australia with her tail between her legs.

I gave Jase another glance and returned to the moment. My friends were standing behind me. Behind Jase stood Teddy, Alec and Andy staring at me and smiling like fools. They certainly looked proud of me. Jase looked expressionless for a minute. I felt my jaw tighten with the anticipation for him say something. I had just said everything I had wanted to tell him for the past six months, since the first time I found out that Nikki was going to be my rival for his affection. It was all out in the open now.

I also let my eyes glance to Nikki who was standing there as if waiting for Jase's eyes to pass over me and walk straight to her. Could she think she had that much of a pull over him? I didn't think so.

His expressionless face slowly turned over to a grin. I almost dared to take a breath. His grin got bigger and out of the corner of my eye I saw Nikki's grin start to fade. "Guess I am a coward."

I let the air out of my lungs and my mouth dropped open. Alec and Teddy slapped Jase on the back and Andy tried to shake his hand. Behind me Victoire had started hugging Gigi, who was rejecting the idea immensely. Melody was swaying a little off-kilter, her eyes glazed over. Starr said, "Geez, finally!"

Nikki put her hands on her hips and walked over to Jase. "What? You actually believe her. After everything I said before, after the past few months of not talking to her you're just going to forget and believe her?"

Jase turned to her and said, "Yeah, I guess I am. Suppose that means we're over. You and Brad can have a nice life now. Goodbye Nikki."

I thought smoke was going to start coming out of Nikki's ears just then. Her face reddened and her fists clenched and when I saw her hand raise I thought she was going to punch Jase. She didn't know. Her hand flattened at the last second and she swiped him across the face with a nice, loud slap.

Jase was momentarily surprised but when he turned back to Nikki at the words "You're going to regret this" and he merely smiled, replying, "I don't think so."

She marched towards the castle and after a few seconds Brad came forward, but not to follow her. Jase narrowed his eyes at his seeker and I thought it might come to blows. "What do you want?" Jase asked.

Brad cleared his throat. "I know what you all must think of me."

"No shit!" Gigi snorted from behind me.

Brad ignored her. "I've been stupid and selfish and I'm sorry I went behind your back Jase, and I'm really sorry about what I did to you Allie." His eyes looked mournfully at me and I instantly recalled my first dream where he'd said 'sorry' to me. It was the same look. He hadn't wanted any of this.

I stepped towards him and almost leapt out of my skin when Jase put his hand on my arm to stop me from going. I stopped right there and said, "You didn't want it Brad. But you did it anyways. It might take a long time for us to forgive you for this."

He nodded solemnly, "I know. That's fine. I just don't want to be remembered as this person. I want to change."

He looked up at me pleadingly. "Fine," was all I could say. That seemed to suffice though because a second later he started back up to the castle as well.

Jase hadn't removed his hand from my arm. I turned back to him and was immediately brought into his arms for a hug. Oh! He held me close and murmured into my hair, "Forgive me, please. I didn't see. I didn't want to see."

I inhaled the deep and delicious smell that I knew so well and had missed so much. Without giving it much thought I replied, "You're forgiven."

"What can I do to repay you?"

I could have come up with several things to say. I could have said, 'kiss me' or 'love me', or something like that to give us to start up again. But the more I considered it, the more I thought that our fledgling love wouldn't be the familiar ground that I was looking for right now. I wanted what we'd had before, the friendship that we'd shared because that's what I really missed. For now that was enough and then we could move on later. Not too much later of course, because I'd just spent seven months trying to win his affection and get rid of his girlfriend that I didn't think I could wait that much longer. But I could wait a little bit longer for his love.

"Don't stop being my friend," I told him. "Never stop being my friend."

I could feel him grin against my hair. His barely audible whisper gave me a lift I hadn't ever known, "Never, and then some."


	17. Nikki's Last

**Chapter Seventeen: Nikki's Last **

Exultant was the only word that I could think of to match my mood. Then there were the synonyms that rang true alongside that word; jubilant, overjoyed, thrilled, elated, and then the ever-so plain happy to cap things all off. There wasn't much that I felt I couldn't do. I was over the moon. Simply because I had the most important person to ever blaze across the sky that was my life back where he belonged.

His smile in the mornings was bright and cheery, not wary and guarded as it had been when with _her_. He found excuses to be with me and to talk to me, always about things that were seemingly insignificant; workload, friends, my dad, things like that, but it all mattered to me. He was there being my best friend again and he didn't hesitate anymore to tell me things.

It took about a day to get out of keeping himself in check, as he had done with _her._ He caught himself a few times holding out and I raised my eyebrow and lightly slapped him in the arm to warn him he was being ridiculous, and he opened up right away. The tension of being without each other for the past few months melted away with the snow of March as April approached.

Sometimes I would get a flicker of the old Jase, not the old _my _Jase, but the old _her_ Jase and it still hurt sometimes to understand that _she_ had been there for a long time this year and there was so much that he'd missed. But it looked like he was eager to quickly make up for lost time what with the time we spent together and the various range of topics we covered. Something we rarely touched upon, however, was what had severed our relationship in the first place.

We danced over the relationships around us, Andy and Starr for instance, as well as Melody and Chase, which had been noticed before this reunion, but never discussed. It was an odd feeling to talk about our friends' love lives as we skirted around the subject of our own. It was two days after we'd started talking again when chatting lightly about Andy and Starr that he went all rigid and I couldn't take it any longer.

His fists were clenched and the vein in his neck was pulsing. I recognized this from the countless times previous to this one as a sign of frustration, irritation and anger. What was he angry about now that he wasn't saying?

"Jase?" I asked. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" He almost spoke through clenched teeth.

I grimaced. "Despite the months apart, I still know what's going on in that head of yours, and when you put on that exact face, I know something is up. So if you want to tell me, now's your chance."

His eyes glanced over me and he shook his head, not in refusal, but in thought I suspected because he spoke soon after. "I'm just trying to wrap the idea around in my head that Brad used you."

I smiled lightly. I had missed this protective side of my friend. "You warned me, I didn't listen."

"I warned you that something might happen because of things Brad told me before but never to the amount of blackmail. And to top it all off I can't believe you went along with it…for Andy and Starr."

I lifted my head in defense. I had known before that it had been a stupid idea because all my friends had objected to it. Starr said so herself after she'd discovered what had happened that it was too low and I shouldn't have done it. But for her I sacrificed some dignity for her chance at love, and to me that was worth a lot more. Love was always worth a lot more, especially for a dear friend who couldn't see the love that was staring her in the face. Dignity had its price and once lost could be regained. I saved myself from that horror as soon as I could possibly find the exit.

"Starr and Andy deserved one another," I said simply. "There isn't anything I won't do for my friends, and with that sword hanging over my head and the threat of possible decapitation of their budding love, I couldn't risk it. Starr means too much to me to have that chance lost."

Jase stared at me for a few seconds before I self-consciously looked away. When I looked back with a little more guarded expression he was eyeing me with curious amusement. "I suppose there is that," he conceded.

I smiled brightly and my self-consciousness waivered before disappearing completely. Then I remembered the real reason I had jumped on him for his rigid behavior and my smile diminished. True we had broached that subject with little fault, but there was still a mountain to climb when it came to what was between us. He still hadn't mentioned a single thing about loving me, let alone the simple fact that more than once now I'd said I loved him.

I decided to let it slide this time. When it felt right I wouldn't leave a single stone left unturned, and I was determined to get through this year with at least the hope that there was a future for us that was more than just platonic.

* * *

It looked like waiting was a never-ending theme for me this year. I really despised the waiting, and the fact that Jase had been so thick-headed these past few months to finally see what was staring him in the face. But despite all my earlier reliefs about having finally told him the truth about _her_, there was still the inevitable _her _to be dealt with.

I waited three days, hoping that instead of a confrontation I would discover she had fled Hogwarts in the night and disappeared with her tail between her legs back to Australia. But no such luck. I had also hoped that there might be a chance to deal with her with at least one of my friends beside me. Gigi was dying to claw at her perfect skin. Melody was being overly dramatic and wishing to finish the job we'd started on her hair and burn her at the stake. Starr wanted to drop her fifty feet in the air straight to the lawn of the Quidditch pitch. And although, Victoire hadn't specifically voiced her opinion, I knew she wouldn't disagree to any of their depictions for Nikki's punishment.

But, like I said before, I had no such luck. I didn't have a single person by my side when Nikki backed me into a corner. In the lavatory no less, when I skipped out on Transfiguration for a washroom break.

I was washing my hands when I saw movement in the mirror from behind me. I had just enough time to register who it was and what she was doing before I ducked out of the way of the flying object whirling towards my head.

There was a definite crash as Nikki's Transfiguration textbook hit the mirror and cracked it into a thousand tiny splinters of glass. I had two seconds for that to comprehend before another book was hurled at my head. I dodged it once again and pulled out my wand.

It looked like Nikki was out of books to throw and she too had pulled out her wand. "You are going to pay for what you did," she threatened.

"What I did?" I gasped incredulously. "What did I do, exactly, Nikki?"

"You ruined everything!" she yelled at me.

"Oh yeah, I ruined everything. Me, I'm the reason this year has been a complete disaster. Are you going to pretend that you didn't have anything to do with it?"

"Everything was so perfect until you came along. Jase was mine, he was deliriously happy with his choice, I could twirl him around my finger and he thought the world of me. Until you—"

"Until I what? I was always here so don't you dare say 'until I came into the picture', or whatever, because that is such bullshit. I can't believe you're trying to pin everything on me. I swear Nikki, you are completely deluded. Blonde and moronic until the very end."

"Moronic, am I?" she wailed, raising her wand above her head preparing to aim a curse at my head again. "We'll see who the moron is after I get through with you."

She yelled an incomprehensible curse due to her accent, but I had my shield charm up in record time. Professor Nettles would be proud of me. My temper was building and it didn't look like she was going to back down any time soon. "I am going to tear you into little pieces," I growled under my breath. I let my charm down and loosed the best spell I knew how to perform accurately in Nikki's direction.

She was fast and her shield charm eliminated the threat of my spell. I volleyed three more at her seemingly impenetrable shield before she finally gave in and decided to pay me back in kind.

This time I wasn't so lucky. It looked like luck was not on my side that day. I was hit square in the chest and tossed violently back against the tiled wall of the lavatory. Nikki exclaimed, "HA!" triumphantly as I landed on the floor with the wind knocked out of me. My glasses were askew and I thought I was seeing stars from the impact, not to mention the crushed feeling I was experiencing due to the lack of air in my lungs.

She walked over to me, a predator stalking its prey, and pointed her wand directly at my head. "You were an insect to me," she told me. "A bug that needed to be squished in order to attain my final goal, and now I will succeed once and for all."

"What exactly was your final goal Nikki?" I asked with my voice surprisingly even.

"Jason Eaven was the finest mark I have ever encountered. He was everything I could ever want in a man, and it was no wonder he was so easy to seduce after the years he's sat beside you and your drab clothes and freakishly awful glasses. To capture him, a slave to my every whim, and the power to manipulate without a question from him was the ultimate objective."

I shook my head and leaned back against the tile. "Do you think he will agree to be with you now? After the sneaking around, the sleeping with his friend and the abuse you've now laid on his best friend? Have you always been this blonde, really?"

Her wand hand made a slashing motion in the air that caused a great deal of pain to explode across my chest. "AH!" I cried out as I clutched at the invisible wound that seemed to be spreading throughout my entire body.

"I will have him, you just wait and see." She seemed to think better of that however. "Actually, on second thought," she continued, "I do believe I will eliminate you from the equation. I can't discredit you because that obviously didn't work the first time. Brad was more incompetent than I expected. I also had high hopes for him, but…that is in the past." She sighed wistfully looking off into the distance that almost made her look whimsical. But when her glare returned to me it was harsh and cold, fueled by her anger and rage and hatred of me. How had I managed to get myself in this deep?

With the flick of her wrist there was another flash of angry pain that swept through me. Whatever spell she was using was like nothing I'd ever heard of before. It wasn't the torture curse, of that I was almost positive, but it might as well have been because the results were probably no that far off from each other. She was slowly and painfully breaking me with her rage. To her satisfaction I gritted my teeth and groaned at the second wave.

"I will eliminate you, Allyson Graham, and there is very little you can do about that right now to stop me. I will threaten you until you concede, torment you until you give in, and when all is said and done, you will agree to leave Jase alone once and for all."

"Leave Jase alone?" I questioned shaking my head from side to side, both from the pain as well as the refusal towards her proposed idea. "I…"

"You will," Nikki responded as she turned her wand slightly to the side and another slice of pain gripped me. "You will leave Jase alone."

I had to think fast but the pain was so much so that my thoughts weren't coherent. One thing was for certain however, and that was the fact that I wouldn't let Nikki get away with this. I was sure of myself to some extent; I just needed an approach that would balance out the odds of this outcome once and for all. I didn't like gasping for air and clutching my chest because of all the pain.

So I feigned defeat. My wand dropped to my side and I mutely nodded my head. She couldn't see my face and I couldn't see hers, but the air changed in the lavatory and the pain was relieved from my chest. The second I thought she believed I had given up was also the second my head snapped up and I picked myself up off the floor before lunging towards her at top speed.

She broke my fall and we landed in a heap on the floor. Her wand had dropped during the fall and she was now partially defenseless. Instead she reached up to my glasses and pulled them off and snapped them. My vision impaired slightly, I blinked twice before deciding on a course of action. I sat up and gazed down at the blurry form in front of me and then began hitting aimlessly, mostly because I didn't have a clue what I was aiming at. My fists collided with her hair, her neck and then finally her face. She struggled, but when her struggles proved fruitless she tried to maneuver her hips to offset my weight and throw me off.

Tiny as she was, she managed to succeed and I heard a nasty crunch as my now broken glasses disintegrated beneath my weight. I couldn't have been blinder now than I already was. But I felt around on the stone floor until my hands connected with a long wooden stick. Her wand! I remembered that my own wand was somewhere beside the far wall and hers had fallen when I'd tackled her to the ground. But, I wasn't one hundred percent sure and I hesitated.

I turned and saw her blurry figure pushing to her feet and reacted without thought. Using her own wand, I threw a spell over my shoulder that surprisingly made contact and hurled her through a stall door before making contact with the opposite wall and landing her ass on the toilet. She didn't get up to move again.

With a final decision I held the wand in two hands before promptly breaking it in half. I would probably get into a lot of trouble for that, but I didn't care. The less of a threat this bitch was the better.

My hands felt around on the floor once again and I found the broken glass of my glasses as well as the twisted and contorted frames that they had been. "Damnit," I muttered to myself.

There was a sudden clashing and banging at the door and I hadn't considered until now that Nikki might have actually locked the door. I fumbled to my feet and staggered to the door. I found the manual lock and twisted it to one side.

The door swung open to reveal who I thought looked like my four friends. Upon hearing their exclaiming voices I knew I was correct.

"What happened?" Melody inquired.

"Are you alright?" Victoire worried.

"We heard a fight, did we miss it?" Gigi said.

"Need any help?" Starr asked.

I sighed and my shoulders slumped a little. I hadn't realized how physically exhausting it was to duel in a girls' lavatory before, probably because the situation had never risen before. "Can you find my wand?" I asked.

Starr brushed past me and returned a few seconds later, placing my wand in my hand. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Um…about Nikki though?"

"What about her?" Gigi asked more excited now than before. "Did you kill her?"

"God, I hope not."

"She's not dead," Starr confirmed. "She's unconscious and there are some cuts and scrapes on her arms and face, but she'll live."

I heard Gigi grumble with disappointment. I laughed. "Don't worry about it Gigi, you'll get your chance to beat someone up one of these days. Besides, you did set her hair on fire."

That seemed to cheer her right up. "That is true. Anything you need?"

"A new set of eyeballs that actually worked might be nice."

"Glasses got destroyed did they?" Melody wondered.

"Yep, all that's left is glass shards and a twisted metal wire."

"Contacts?" Victoire suggested, slightly excited about the thought.

"Yeah," I replied dubiously. "Why?"

"No reason," she said quickly.

"Liar."

"Okay, well it's just you were saying before that the contacts were part of your plan to win Jase."

"Right, I'd forgotten about that."

"The dance is next week," Starr put in innocently. "Are you still…?" she didn't finish.

I shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it."

I had been too busy dealing with the psycho-bitch from hell to worry about my original 'get sexy' plan. Now that they had mentioned it though, it seemed like the perfect stage again, especially considering the fact that Jase was still reluctant to actually talk about what was between us.

I didn't think Nikki would be a problem any longer; she'd lost her appeal as well as her wielding power over me. Without a wand, as well as without the idea of Jase at her side again, she was pretty much useless. It would be rather nice to have everything out in the open once and for all.

I sighed, "Do you think I should?"

"Uh, duh!" Gigi so eloquently stated.

"I'll see if I can repair what's left of your glasses," Melody chimed as she brushed past me. "That way you won't need to wear your contacts until the dance."

"I will help with a dress," Victoire volunteered. "We can put a rush-order on it to ensure it's here by next Friday."

"And if Jase so much as looks at another woman, we are so going to kick his ass," Starr finished.

"You guys could rule the world," I laughed. Once I had my glasses on again, though not perfect but at least intact, we linked arms and returned to Transfiguration without even a backward glance at Nikki who was still slumped on her royal perch in the lavatory stall. And the bitch could stay there for all I cared.

* * *

He twisted the notice in his hands as he leaned against the headboard of his four-poster bed. He'd read and reread it a dozen times already and if he didn't put it down soon he would tear it to pieces and then have no courage remaining whatsoever. He could not afford another downfall, for her sake at the very least.

She meant the world to him, he saw that now. What a fool he had been, ignoring her love as if it were no more than a passing fancy. She loved him. He kept repeating that over and over in his head, and still it didn't seem real to him. He'd loved her for so long and tried to get over it for half as long that he couldn't comprehend her feelings as more than a mirage.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger while lightly tapping his head against the headboard, enough so that after the fifth time it started to hurt a little.

Nikki had been wonderful at the time, he had to admit. She'd been sexy and exciting more than once during their relationship, but in the end it had just been a rouse for her greedy hunger for power over her man. Jase had been an idiot to assume that he'd been her one and only. Someone that intoxicatingly sexy could never be trusted; a body like hers was always used for more than what she'd let on.

But Allie … Jase decided that Allie was more than sexy; she was beautiful. She didn't need to be sexy for him to love her. He saw the beauty that was on the inside and he believed in that more than he'd ever believed in Nikki's outer beauty. Now he just had to convince the both of them that these feelings of love were more than just the teenage hormones that currently raged through them. Jase wasn't actually sure about the teenage hormones that Allie was subject to, but he knew his own, and they burned something fierce within his system when he paid close attention. He just hoped that he wasn't lusting over Allie as he'd lusted over Nikki, to the end he'd mistaken for love.

He unrolled the notice in his hands repeating the date and time that he already knew by heart. He then reached over to his bedside table and pulled open the drawer. He retrieved from it the frame that held the picture of him and Allie. She was smiling and laughing alongside him in the picture and he was struck by an awful pang of loneliness when remembering the months previous he'd spent without her companionship. He had to admit to himself that being without her had been some of the most miserable weeks he'd ever spent, despite Nikki being with him.

Nikki had been playing him all along. He'd been a pawn in her fervent attempts to gain ultimate control. He'd been blind to her schemes, just as he'd been blind to Allie's love. He hadn't wished to see it, partially because he didn't want to believe Nikki could be so cruel, and partially because he thought his feelings for Allie were unjustified. He'd been stumbling around in the dark looking for momentary happiness when endless joy had been staring him in the face all along.

He whacked his head against his headboard with more force this time and when the loud THUD made more noise than he'd expected he glanced around cautiously hoping he hadn't woken any of his roommates. No one stirred. He settled back again with the picture frame in one hand and the notice in the other.

Allie had always been there for him, and he'd always tried to be there for her. He'd failed on that second part in the past few months though, and suddenly he knew a way to make it all up to her. With Nikki once and for all out of the picture, he could focus on the two in the frame, and he decided it was high time he made his feelings known.

He was finally willing to risk the chance that this love he was feeling was more than just a fleeting illusion of love. He hadn't wanted to risk their friendship over his love before, but now he knew Allie's love for him might be the net he had been looking for incase he fell. He'd just needed to get off his high horse and get knocked to the ground one last time before finally seeing that.

He propped the picture frame up on his bedside table and folded the notice before setting it beside the frame. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves once before crawling deeper into his bed. It was late and it wouldn't be beneficial to his plan to forego sleep. As he pulled up his covers he glanced at the picture once more. Smiling, he fell asleep watching her laugh.


	18. Majesty

**Chapter Eighteen: Majesty**

I swiveled in the mirror one more time, skeptical at best, at the dress that Victoire had insisted I try on. I had been more drawn to the blue, but she was vehement that I get the ivory in the same style of dress. I looked at my back in the mirror, my head twisted to see over my shoulder. I liked the style of course because the blue had been the same, but the off-white colour I was currently drabbed in made my make a face.

"I don't know about this one," I called out from my dressing room. "Why ivory again, Vic?" I asked.

"Blue just isn't your colour. I know you like it and all, and I don't mind when you wear it usually, but that's just it. You always wear blue. The ivory makes you look more grown up and sophisticated."

I rolled my eyes and unlatched the door. I stood before my four friends who were standing around waiting for my verdict. They had already picked out their dresses, within the first few ones they'd tried on no less, and I was being the stick in the mud because I wouldn't decide. "I didn't know I was going for grown up and sophisticated. I was going for sexy. Does ivory look sexy?"

Victoire gawked at me. Gigi rolled her eyes. Starr didn't look impressed at all. And Melody stepped forward. "Allie," she began, "I really don't want to have to hit you, but I will if you don't stop being so thick-headed about this."

"Thick-headed?" I mused.

"Yes, thick-headed. Come over here and stand in front of the mirror with me. Now imagine your hair swept up elegantly in some such fashion. Picture yourself walking down the stairs into the Entrance Hall where Jase will no doubt be standing, even if he hasn't asked you to go with him officially. What do you think his reaction will be?"

I stared at my image once more. I tilted my head from side to side before finally admitting to myself that the ivory dress did look rather stylish on me. It brought out the curves I hadn't really drawn attention to in past years. My hair was currently pulled back in a loose pony tail so that didn't really help, but as I turned again to examine the back of the dress I conceded that the pony tail did look rather good with the backless dress.

What will his reaction be? I asked myself. Goodness, I didn't want to speculate. I didn't want to imagine the best because I couldn't help but find myself drawn to the worst. I was a pessimist and I did, but then again I didn't want to get my hopes up. If I was let down then I was no better off, even though I'd be utterly crushed at the rejection. But if I suspected the best, that he would scoop me into his arms and proclaim his undying love for me then the opposite would be that much worse when the best didn't come true.

I crossed my eyes briefly thinking about how ridiculous it was to being going around in circles on this subject when I'd already made up my mind whatever happened at the dance it was better to get it out there than to leave it hidden inside.

Impatience drew at my friends, Starr most especially as I thought over my dizzying problems, and she gripped my shoulders and shook me. "Wha—What?" I cried at the jostling movements.

"You listen to me. Are you listening?" she said firmly.

"Yes I'm listening."

"Good, now Jase will not reject you, it's inconceivable why he's even been delayed this long. But he won't reject you now. Not in this dress, not when you've gone to these lengths to win him. He's going to see that he loves you once and for all or so help me, I will crush his skull in with a brick."

I raised one eyebrow in amusement. My fiery friend looked positively veracious and I couldn't help my allowing a small smile to tweak at the corners of my mouth. Her mad look transformed into a full-blown smile after a few seconds and I followed suit. I pulled Starr into a hug as we laughed, and said, "I believe you."

I didn't respond specifically to either of the things she'd said I realized. I wanted to believe Jase had finally come to his senses, and that he'd realize all that Starr predicted. But then again if he didn't, then I absolutely believed that Starr, as well as the rest of my friends, might very well bash his head in with a brick. I let them assume what they wanted with that response and returned to the dressing room to take off the ivory dress that I'd decided to buy.

I had looked at the purple dress that I'd tried on back in the fall, but it wasn't right any more. The dress itself was still the same and I remembered Jase's reaction with a small blush but decided I didn't want to wear something he'd already seen. I wouldn't be the Allie he knew, not on the outside anyways. I wanted to be more than that.

* * *

Nervousness came on a number of levels the Friday of the dance. First there was the little small factor that Jase hadn't asked me to go with him, which was slightly worrying. But I knew he hadn't asked anyone else, he'd told me so himself. I hadn't wanted to press the fact of going with me either because with the cards on the table, he knew I was in love with him and I didn't want to see possessive or clingy or even desperate, despite the fact I was actually going a little insane.

Next it hit me when during my spare period in the library that I would have to swallow the number of butterflies in my stomach multiplied by about seven million by the time eight o'clock rolled around. I was going over what I wanted to say over and over again, so much so that I don't think I looked at my homework once during the entire hour I was in the library.

I was constantly looking around at students and the books and picking up on the smallest details. Lisa Anne was wearing tie-dyed shoes. Emily Bell was blushing as she talked to a boy with two eyebrow piercings and what looked like a tongue ring. The book, two rows over on the second from the bottom shelf, was jiggling back and forth every time a fifth year walked by it.

Finally I conceded that I was going to be, if I was not already, clinically insane. I let my head drop onto the table in front of me with a large THUD sound that in reality sounded a lot worse than it felt at the time. It wasn't until five minutes later that my forehead started to ache.

"Having fun?" a voice to my right said. My head popped up to see Gigi standing there. "Ohh, nice red mark on your face. Looks like you've been having the time of your life."

"Yeah," I grumbled, "Right up there alongside wrestling with dragons and jumping into a vat of bubbling acidic sludge."

She laughed, "It can't be all that bad?"

"Wanna bet?" I mumbled.

Gigi rolled her eyes. "You've been worried for the past two weeks, heck the past seven months, and it all boils down to now, right? Haven't you thought over this a dozen times? Haven't you already figured out every possible or plausible or unlikely scenario in the book?"

I was vaguely aware of my notebook sitting in front of where Gigi had sat down. The same notebook that held all my plans and ideas and theories regarding Jase and my potential relationship and the things I was going to do to win him over. Gigi's raised eyebrow told me exactly what I was thinking; that she'd seen every outcome in there complete with question marks, little hearts and crazy scribbles that testified towards my prompt and thorough trial of insanity. I snatched it up and shut the book but didn't reply.

"Do you doubt yourself?" she asked.

"Of course, how can I not? After the supermodel-material girls he's dated how can I measure up?"

Gigi's narrowed expression told me she didn't believe a single word of crap that was coming out of my mouth. And honestly, neither did I. I knew that Jase had gone out with the cream of the crop, the Hogwarts hotties for some reason, and I had yet to discover why, but at the back of my head there was a niggling question asking: why has he been your friend for so many years if he didn't honestly like you? Sure there was always the stand-by answer: I was the only girl who he could come to for advice without having to worry about making me fall in love with him. There was a big, resounding rejection buzzer going off in my mind at that one because that's exactly what I'd done.

Her hand slapped down on the table bringing me back to the present. "That's it!" she declared. "I've made up my mind. I am not allowing you look in a mirror the entire night."

"What!"

"You heard me. As of right now you are going to prove your loyalty to your friends and trust their judgment of how you look and how we think Jase will think you look. Okay?"

"No, what are you joking? I need to see myself in order to know when I'm ready."

"Bullshit!" Gigi hissed, making me vaguely aware of the librarian who was lurking behind the bookshelves, listening into to conversation. "Allie, you are going to trust us, you are going to trust yourself, and if I hear you say one word about not being sexy or worth Jase or anything of the sort, I am going to cut off my ears and mail them to him. He wants you so badly; he can listen to all your problems."

"But I don't know if he wants me—"

"He does!" she stated firmly and I jumped back as she slammed her textbook shut and started gathering up her papers. "You seem to have a great sense of self Allyson Graham, most of the time. But right now is not one of those times. You were all resolved to focus on you and how you feel, well now I'm letting you know how I feel. If you so much as say the word ugly tonight, or geeky, or bookworm, I swear to whatever higher power there is that I will kick your ass to kingdom come. Do you trust me?"

"Yes but—"

"But nothing, you said yes and now you're sticking to it. Now get your stuff, we're going to the dorm room. Starr, Melody and Victoire are meeting us up there."

She stood with her books gathered in her arms looking down on me expectantly. Her short spiky hair made her look almost fiendish and the tapping of her black knee-high hooker boots was a little daunting. "What about last class?" I said quietly.

"No one's going and I doubt Professor Longbottom cares if we go to Herbology. It's the rumor going around that he put in the idea for the dance in the first place."

"Professor Longbottom dances?" I asked incredulously while I started shuffling papers into my book bag.

Gigi smiled, "Guess we'll find out."

I stood. "So you're really serious about the no mirror thing?"

"You bet your ass I am. So are the rest of the girls."

"You've already told them?"

"Sure, we've been talking about it for a while. Ever since you became this uptight, gotta-be-better-than-the-rest, hoity toity, obsessive compulsive schizo! So yes, to answer your question, yes I have technically told them."

Eyes wide with shock I stared at Gigi. Whoa! That was admittedly scary and I hoped that I never had to see that one again. "Guess I'll just have to suffer through it," I mumbled when we finally started walking."

Gigi snorted, "If you suffer from being kissed by the man you love, I am a Purple Blast-Ended Skrewt."

"Could be," I said under my breath, not even lingering on the idea of kissing Jase. It had been all I wanted to do for years. "I'm such a loser aren't I?"

"Mostly," Gigi laughed as she nudged me. "But the way he looks at you tells me he doesn't think so."

"How does he look at me?"

"Remember the first time he road his broom? The first trip to Hogsmeade? How about the Starstream IV that we all pitched in to get him in fifth year?"

"Yeah, of course, those are all prime moments in his life. I've never seen him happier than when he ripped the paper off his Starstream IV." I remember all those memories listed with fondness. Those were the times I focused on when the world seemed to crash and burn. Those are also the ones I made him focus on when all his relationships had crashed and burned too.

"Well," Gigi continued, "all those times, despite how happy you remember him or how happy he looks in pictures or whatever, that doesn't hold a candle to how happy he looks when he looks at you, my friend."

I smiled to myself at the thought. "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

I narrowed my gaze at her. "Well you are pretty mean sometimes. Now for instance, taking away my mirror privileges on what could very well be the most important night of my teenage life!"

"Aww, muffin."

I shoved her at the comment but couldn't help laughing. She joined in. I was being melodramatic, a term clearly written for Melody, who was waiting in the dorm room when Gigi and I arrived. Victoire and Starr were also there talking. I walked in and deposited my school stuff before going into the bathroom. It was too late however, for they had already removed the mirror over the sink, which was a really disorienting feeling. They eyed me suspiciously every move I made from the bathroom to my bed like I was some criminal.

"What?" I had to ask.

"Nothing." Starr was smiling generously with an amused look on her face.

Yeah I knew what they were all thinking. I wasn't a dope. Not a lot of the time anyways. I was a girl stuck in a book, thinking things out over and over again, just like those characters I loved. They twisted and turned their thoughts to endless conclusions and wasted so much time thinking that sometimes they missed out on acting on the one that fit. I knew which one fit; I was just too much of a chicken to ever see it to fruition. Luckily I had four friends beside me who would push me into a volcano if it meant some self-betterment on my part.

So in truth, the no-mirror thing scared me a little, but it wasn't that big of a deal in the end. They wouldn't let me make a fool of myself. They were behind me one hundred percent. Even if they all thought I was an uptight, gotta-be-better-than-the-rest, hoity toity, obsessive compulsive schizo. But then again, I couldn't really blame them.

Oh well.

* * *

I'd dragged it out as long as I could. There was no turning back now. I had made it all the way down to the first staircase leading to the Great Entrance and my heart was fluttering faster than a hummingbird's wings, and my stomach was doing back flips as if a thousand butterflies were restless inside. I'm sure I could say any number of things to get me out of walking down those stairs, but none of my friends would hear it, of that I was certain. I could claim to be on deaths' door and they would simply scoff and roll their eyes before pushing me headfirst down the stairs.

I closed my eyes, trying my best to work out the scenario in front of me. It would take too many unexpected turns though and so instead I tried to imagine what I looked like. Gigi had stayed true to her word, and everyone else seemed to be behind her on this one, because there was not a single mirror in sight. I do not know how the four of them managed to get dressed themselves without one, but they had, and I hadn't. I wasn't allowed to do anything. Not when they tugged on my hair to the point of pain had they relented. They'd made me screw up my face as they applied the makeup they refused to show me. And when I climbed into the ivory backless dress that I'd chosen and told me to spin in my lavish extravagance, they had merely commented that I looked perfect and took over their own wardrobes.

I sat there for upwards of a half an hour watching them get dressed, watching them primp and prepare for the dance and was forced to sit on my bed. They were so suspicious of me that even when I went to the bathroom they not only timed it, but they also voted on who would accompany me to make sure I didn't sneak a mirror in to look. It was positively criminal; I was being treated like a fugitive and my only crime: wanting to look at myself to make sure I looked okay.

The only mirror I was allowed was a small compact mirror that Melody retrieved from her purse before applying my makeup so that I was able to put in my contacts. I saw my eyes, wide with frustration and concentration, as I put in my contacts. I tried to sneak the compact away without success.

When they were all satisfied at their own appearances, God knows how they managed that, Gigi and Starr took me by each arm and drew me from the room. I was being lead, shackled and chained as it were, down the flights of stairs towards the Great Hall. And with each step my heart kicked up a notch and fluttered faster. My feet grew heavier and my face grew hotter. A wave of dizziness overtook me as we continued down the final corridor before the stairs. Now I was standing there wondering.

"I—" I started, only to be cut off.

"If you're about to say 'I don't think I can do this', I am going to slap you," Gigi remarked standing next to me in a short sky-blue dress that fanned out in frills and lace and sparkles. "You are not allowed to say that!"

"But I—"

"But you nothing," Starr said. She was wearing a black, full-length dress with off-the-shoulder straps. "There is nothing to be afraid of, and you know it all too well. This is Jase we're talking about, not some guy you just met. This is Jase, your 'best friend' of six years. You know who he is."

"But I don't know what he's thinking," I managed to get out in a fast slur.

Melody raised an eyebrow at me, "You know, for an intuitive person Allie, you sure are dense some times. You know Jase better than anyone else in the world. You know what he's thinking. You just don't want to think about what he's thinking." She brushed her long dark brown hair over her right shoulder. She'd chosen to wear it down in light curls with her forest green dress with a heart shaped corset top and flowing satin skirt.

"You make no sense sometimes Melody," Victoire commented as she smoothed out the lavender purple dress that matched her eyes and fell like water over her curves. "Though I suppose she is right," she looked at me, "and you need to get over yourself for another thing."

I rolled my eyes. "Damn you guys are helpful," I said sarcastically.

Gigi put her hands on her hips, an image that was soon repeated with Melody, Starr and Victoire. "If you don't start moving down those stairs we're going to push you. Take your pick."

I held up my hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I'm going." I really thought walking down myself was easier than being pushed, despite how lead-like my feet felt.

I took a deep breath, wiggled my ankles in the high-heeled shoes to make sure they were strapped on tight and not likely to fall off during my entrance, and stepped out from behind the wall to walk down the stairs.

I kept my eyes on my feet for the first few steps, dreading looking up but at the same time afraid that I might trip and fall if I didn't watch where I was walking. After five steps I slowly raised my head to look before me. The Great Entrance was packed but I didn't have to search far before finding who I was looking for.

He stood with his back to me in a small circle consisting of Teddy, Alec, Andy, Chase and Gigi's date, Malcolm. I noticed his big broad shoulders and his dirty-blonde hair instantly. My heartbeat took off and for a fraction of a second I thought I might hyperventilate right then and there without even making it as far as the Great Entrance. But then Chase's lips curved as our eyes met and he pointed over Jase's shoulder towards me. Jase turned at just when I felt my heart falter to a stand-still, frozen in time, his face lit up with a gorgeous smile and all my fears and frozen moments melted away.

I found it easy to take one step, and then another, until I was standing right in front of him. He was my friend and I didn't need to be afraid to be with him. I had been with him for six years straight and I had never feared the time we spent together. Never, even after realizing I really and truly did love him, had I ever stepped out of that comfortable friendship we'd formed. All my love for him had never taken that part away. I'd never felt foolish, I'd never blushed more than before, and I'd never made a complete fool of myself to try and get him to notice me. We were best friends and there were no secrets between us. As his smile took over my smile I found myself looking into not only a friend, or love, but also a soul mate, for all its corniness.

Jase held up a hand, enclosed in his fingers was the stem of a white rose. My breath caught. "For me?" I managed.

Jase nodded. "It would seem that I picked the exact right colour too. A red one would have been too ostentatious for the dress you're wearing." A little colour flooded his cheeks before he said softly, "You look beautiful."

I took the rose from him, snapping the excess stem off before sliding it into the ponytail at the back of my head. The girls had decided that it should be at the back of my head, long and flowing rather than curled or framing my face. They'd allowed a little pouf at the front but otherwise the rest was entirely pulled tight in a tail at the back that was level with my eyes at the front. "Thank you," I finally said.

He offered me his arm, which I took of course, and we stood there waiting for my four friends to appear so we could go into the Great Hall together. Gigi, Melody, Victoire, and Starr all flitted down the stairs with bright smiles on their faces. Each of their eyes darted towards Jase and I, giving their heartfelt approval of the situation. Everyone had linked arms with their respective partners when Jase said, "Shall we?" gesturing towards the Great Hall. I could only nod.

Majestic was the only word I could come up with to describe the Great Hall when we entered. The pure, unbridled majesty that went into creating such an exquisitely decorated room was breathtaking. Candles floated, a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, the bewitched castle ceiling held an array of stars and colour. The enchanting music that overwhelmed me when I walked in was so intrinsic and magical that I almost forgot to keep breathing.

"It's perfect," I breathed as I gripped Jase's arm harder.

"Perfect for what?" he asked, dipping his head closer to mine.

I met his eyes and smiled. "Everything."


	19. Perfect3

**Chapter Nineteen: Perfect 3 **

With her breathing softly against his chest, Jase was reminded of the hour and the level of exhaustion that Allie must be right now. She had danced with friends, with him, with Chase and Andy, and even Alec during the course of the evening. She'd looked like she was having such a good time that Jase couldn't bring himself, not once, to break her from that to talk about what had been weighing on his mind since seeing her walk down the stairs towards him three hours earlier.

She'd been glowing. Illuminated by the flickering flames from the torches on the stone walls she seemed to light up and float down to him. He'd handed her the rose and seen the beautiful pink wash her cheeks, and then watched as she shared special glances with each one of her friends. There was something in those looks that told Jase he'd been right not to invite her officially, and he'd also been right the entire time. He'd just been a fool and ignored it.

Allie was, as she'd voiced earlier, perfect, in every way. Jase couldn't find a single flaw in her person, not now, nor ever. She'd always been the caring and concerned friend when he had crawled back to her after his latest horrific breakup. She'd always been the joy of each school year with their late-night Chip Pit rituals and the best person to talk to about anything whether it was school, Quidditch or miscellaneous. He'd seen it all. He'd registered his feelings as love for her. But rather than tell her and risk everything they had ever had, he'd kept the friendship safe, and as Jase saw now, he'd kept it distant.

He couldn't hold off any longer. If he did he was guaranteed to explode with thought and feeling and then he might never get it out right. His gaze settled on the girl in his arms swaying naturally to the music as he turned them gently on the dance floor, hearing her soft snores, and he knew she'd fallen asleep. Now as much as he hated to wake her, he desperately needed to.

"Allie," he whispered into her hair.

"Hmm," was her only response. She shifted her head from one side to another, perfectly content with sleeping there on his chest.

He sighed heavily knowing that he was perfectly content with that as well, but the Great Hall wasn't the best place to spend the night. With his arms around her he gently shook her awake, "Allie, time to wake up."

"Five more minutes," she mumbled, prompting a light chuckle from him. The shaking of his chest must have jostled her however, and she popped one eye open and then the other. "Oh, I'm sorry," she slurred, "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I did this all wrong didn't I?"

"Did what all wrong?" Jase asked cupping her chin.

"Tonight," she answered.

Jase shook his head, "Tonight was wonderful."

"But I had things to say, to you."

"I have things to say as well, to you." He hooked his arm over her shoulder to keep her standing, and close. "Allow me to walk you back to your dorm, my lady, and perhaps we can still talk."

This seemed to cheer her up quite a bit because she nodded with a little more enthusiasm than the half-asleep Allie she'd been two minutes ago. They climbed the first staircase with a little difficulty, but then the long empty corridor stretched out in front of them to allow for more steady footing, on Allie's part at least. Jase was tired, but not as much as Allie seemed to be.

So Jase began to say what he needed to get out. It was now or never. Either that or it was no time like the present. "Allie, about what you said."

"What'd I say?"

"About how you love me."

"Oh. Yes?"

"Did you mean it?"

"Yes." She replied softly. Her eyes were on the floor.

"Did you also mean the part about loving me for the past two years?"

She nodded her head once. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She looked straight ahead. "At first, I don't think I could. I thought maybe it was some kind of lustful feeling towards you as a reaction to your waking me up on the Quidditch pitch that day. You remember when I'd fallen off my broomstick? That was the day it all started."

"I remember that day. I thought I'd die of a heart attack if you didn't open your eyes soon." He confessed. There was no use hiding now, not with where he was planning to go coming up soon. "The Bludger had knocked you hard on the back of the head and when I saw you fall I think my heart stopped."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well…when I opened my eyes, you were there already calling my name. It was like a lightening bolt to the heart. My systems jump-started and I could only call it love. I didn't think it would last though."

"Why not?"

She looked over at him with a calm face. "I was fourteen. And despite my adoration to you at the time, I didn't think I could find that kind of thing at such a young age. I thought it would be something fleeting; a shooting star across the heavens."

They mounted another staircase, his arm still clasped tightly around her side. She was stumbling less, more awake now, and he was grateful for that. It meant she would remember everything that had been and was going to be said tonight.

Jase was silent for a while, and before he could figure out something to say to her, she'd asked him a question. "Why Nikki, Jase?" It was one of those questions he hadn't wanted to hear; still he couldn't refuse her an answer.

"She was beautiful and she made me laugh. I guess you could say she convinced me that I was in love with her. I was happy with her, for a time at least. I saw the hole she was creating in my life though after she'd pushed you away at Christmas. I was an ignorant asshole, and I will regret pushing you away forever."

She sighed softly. "Was it because she was sexy?" Her voice was little more than a whisper.

Jase stopped in his tracks. Sexy? The word resounded in his brain as he processed her question. He looked down at Allie. Her head was bowed slightly, her shoulders hunched, and her hands holding her stomach. She was turned in on herself, a hard outer shell up to protect her from his answer. Then it dawned on Jase; she didn't think she was sexy. She thought that _that_ was the reason he'd never told her he loved her.

He let go of her shoulder and gripped her upper arms gently. With one hand he brought her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "Is that it, Allie? You don't think you're sexy?"

She shook her head.

Jase gaped at her. "What? Have you looked at yourself tonight?"

She shook her head again. He would think she was joking if it were not for the solemn look of truth stamped in her eyes. She wasn't joking.

"Why not?" Jase exclaimed.

Her cheeks blushed the irresistible rose-colour that Jase loved. "The girls wouldn't let me."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded. "They thought I would fuss over my image too much. So much so that they feared I would find some excuse not to go down. They hid every mirror in the dorm room, even stealing the one off the bathroom wall."

Jase couldn't help but laugh. He found it so amusing. Allie continued to blush but her eyes sparkled. "Allie," he said after he finally stopped laughing, "you have no idea how sexy you are sometimes."

A brief smile passed over her lips. But then a frown appeared. Then she shook her head. "You're probably just being nice."

Jase blinked. It had never been this hard before to convince a girl she was sexy. Mostly because Jase had always dated self-confident women who knew and usually abused their sexiness, and he'd never had to do much convincing before. He could only think of one thing to do.

He leaned in to her, cupping her cheek again and bringing his head down to meet hers. At the corner of her mouth, a place he'd wanted to kiss for so long, he whispered, "You are sexy." He smiled as he felt her heartbeat quicken and her breathing go from steady to uneven. He planted as sweet a kiss as he could manage on her delicate lips and waited. It wasn't like kissing a best friend as some might have thought. It was like finding something you'd been missing for years. It was like matching up the last piece of a puzzle with the entire picture.

* * *

Kissing him was everything I had imagined and more. There was a sweet honey-taste that rocked me to my very core, not to mention the blown-away, breathless feeling I was experiencing. Shivers ran up and down my spine and I had to grip onto his jacket to prevent myself from falling over. I was swept away.

I didn't want to open my eyes when our kiss finally broke. His lips pecked my cheek before I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "Do you believe me now?"

His smile made me smile and I nodded my head, still refusing to open my eyes. "I believe you."

He nuzzled his face into the side of my head and I threw my arms up around his neck and hung on for dear life. I could feel him pick me up by my middle and swing me around. Now I was really flying. It was the best feeling in the world.

My feet felt solid ground once more and both his hands found my face. "Open your eyes and look at me, please. I need you to see me for this."

I blinked my eyes open and he was right there, where he'd always been. Except this time he was mine. "For what?" I breathed out.

He smiled. "I love you," he said. All airflow to my lungs ceased and I was left in a perfect state of shock, mouth hanging open and everything. Jase laughed before grabbing hold of me around the middle again and saying in my ear, "For that."

I swallowed several times before finding my voice. "You love me?" Sure I'd found my voice, but it still cracked when I tried to speak.

"Of course I do." He pulled back to look at me. "How could I not? It was always there Allie. I'm so sorry I didn't see it long before this. I could have saved you so much trouble, what with Nikki and Brad and the months we didn't speak. I could have saved you all of that if I had only told you sooner. If I had only figured out it was worth it."

"How long?" I managed to squeak out.

"Christmas was when I figured it all out. But I've loved you for years. You've always been there for me. You've always loved me. And I've always loved you. I just could never see it."

My face grew solemn. He could never see it. I wondered why? "Was if because of the books I was buried behind?" I said quietly.

He laughed softly before kissing me briefly on the mouth again. It felt like a touch from heaven. "No. You're books and your love of books is probably my favorite part of who you are."

Surprise took me. "Really? Why?"

He shook his head. "You're a storyteller, Allie. You always have been. The best parts about you are when you've been reading and feel the need to tell the same story to everyone else. You have a burning need, a never-ending fire within you, and a passion for those stories. It's something unlike anything I've ever witnessed before. It's beautiful."

It's sexy, I thought. I hadn't ever heard anyone say it to me like Jase had just then. It fit perfectly. I'd also said it all out loud because he was chuckling at me again. "Yes, Allie, it's sexy."

I blushed hotly. I swear there were too many feelings inside me at the moment I almost felt like I was going to explode. Jase loved me. He'd said it. He'd loved me for years. He'd said that too. He thought I was sexy. It was hard to believe after the supermodel-material girls he'd been dating, but he looked sincere. "You really think I'm sexy?"

He laughed again, his smile lighting up his entire face. He pulled me into his arms and swung me around again. "Yes, you crazy girl, your books, your hair any style, your contacts or glasses, you are very sexy."

I could feel it. The unbridled and wild bliss that welled up from my toes all the way up to my head filled me completely. I was fit to burst right there in the arms of the boy I loved. Nothing had changed and yet everything had changed. Jase was still my best friend. But he was also a best friend who loved me as I loved him. Oh, and he thought I was sexy, did I mention that? I felt like screaming for joy but instead I just clung to him with a huge smile on my face.

I'd been so scared of tonight. So scared of his rejection, of the painful ending that might come to my dream, but it never came. I was loved. I was happy. I didn't have anything to worry about. I wondered now what I had been so afraid of. What was there to find out that I didn't already know? Somehow I had always known. Friend or no friend, boyfriend or not, Jase had always loved me. And now I knew for certainty, he always would. Funny how some things turned out, eh?

* * *

"Allie, look over here." I looked. "Say cheese!" I did say cheese.

"Oh how embarrassing," I exclaimed as I buried my head in my hands.

"Hey now, none of that," Jase said to me. "You look fine. Better than fine; you look beautiful."

I leaned over kissing him briefly on the lips, "Liar."

The demon with the camera who was currently wearing a short pink and frilly skirt came to sit beside me. "Don't be such a party pooper," Vic said. "It's your birthday, and we as your friends have the right to exploit you to any extent we wish."

"Oh yeah, even if it includes the feather boa, oversized clown glasses and party hat?" I asked.

Vic nodded, "Especially when the birthday girl is wearing a feather boa, oversized clown glasses and party hat. That's what makes it so much fun."

I shook my head. "Uh-huh." I took off the items in question and set them aside.

Melody danced into the room. "Present time! Come on, time to open presents."

"She got my something exploitive, no doubt," I whispered to Jase.

His draped his arm over my shoulders, "She got you two books written by Allen Barker."

I laughed.

"What did he tell you?" Melody accused.

"Nothing," I replied innocently. "Give me your present first Melody. I want to see what you're so excited to give me."

She handed me the brightly wrapped package that had the same weight and feel of two books. Sure enough as I tore the wrapping away, Allen Barker's name bounced off the cover at me. _Evil and Shadow_, and _A Light in the Dark_. Inside the first cover was the card she'd given me. Inside was written: "To contemplate and commemorate the year you kicked butt!" Both books were philosophical action books that, as the titles dictated, reflected on the choices made and the obstacles one overcomes to end triumphant. "Thanks, Melody!" I jumped up and hugged her before sitting back down.

"No worries. I told ya they were coming."

"So you did. Who's next?"

Gigi stepped forward, "Starr and I pooled our cash so this gift comes from the both of us."

The box she held was huge…and there were holes in it. When she set it down on my lap I stuck my eye up to one of the holes on the side of the box and a little pink tongue popped out trying to lick me. "Oh my goodness!" I ripped the paper and opened the box to reveal a small golden retriever puppy. "OH MY GOODNESS!" I repeated at a higher octave. Lifting the puppy out of the box and holding him close to me he started to lick me again. I laughed as he scrambled around in my lap. "Starr, Gigi, he's adorable. Thank you so much!"

Starr smiled, "We thought you'd like him. Oh and we also have this for you." She handed me a small box. Or she tried to. My hands were full with the excited puppy so she handed it to Jase.

"It's a collar and tags." He held them up for me to see.

I read the small inscription on the tag. "You named him Slurpie!" I laughed.

Gigi shrugged, "It seemed appropriate." He licked my face again.

"Yeah, it's perfect!"

"Me next!" Victoire jumped up. I placed Slurpie on Jase's lap and took the package from Victoire's outstretch hands. "I really hope you like it."

I smiled, "I'm sure I will Vic." I took the package she held out for me. It weighed a lot. I curiously tore at the beautifully wrapped paper and let out a gasp when the present inside was finally revealed.

It was a white and gold, leather-bound notebook, with gold trimmed ivory pages, laid-in gold filigree decorations on the front and back, with an ivory-coloured quill that had gold-tipped feather strands. In a word, it was magnificent. "Oh Vic, it's beautiful."

"Good." She clapped her hands eagerly. "I so hoped you'd like it. But you have to promise me to write in it. I know it's beautiful, but it has a purpose. Promise to write in it?"

"Of course, yes." For a minute I couldn't fathom writing in such an exquisitely made notebook, but answered her nonetheless. "What should I write in it?"

"Stories, poems, whatever," Vic replied. "It's your book so you should decide. Personally I think you should write stories, like a novel or something, but it is your gift, so you do with it what you will."

I brushed my hand over the leather and smiled. I didn't want to, but I set it aside and stood to give Vic a hug. "Thank you, I love it."

"You're welcome."

I let her go and then looked around at the others in the room. Alec, Andy, Chase and Teddy were also there. "Who's next?" I asked, looking at them.

"Allie," Alec started, "We're all really sorry, but we didn't find out about this party until yesterday."

"Which means it was too late to get you anything," Andy continued.

"Mostly that's due to our wonderful girlfriends who didn't see fit to mention these things to their boyfriends," Chase said.

"But because we're such stand-up guys," Teddy concluded as he reached around his chair to grab at something, "we figured we'd show them up and get you something totally awesome!"

I laughed as he plopped the package down on the stool in the middle of our little circle. "What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Dunno," Chase shrugged his shoulders, "You're just going to have to open it and find out."

I knelt down beside the stool and rather large and flat gift. I worked meticulously trying to get the beautiful paper off in one piece. When I had finally gotten every piece of tape, I lifted the paper off. Inside a very large frame was a map. It wasn't a very old map, but it was very big. "Wow," I said. "This is great."

Andy's chest puffed up. "Thanks. We figured it was better than if we rolled it up and gave it to you."

"Definitely," I laughed. "Thanks you." I gave each of them a hug in turn before returning to sit beside Jase. "Thanks ever so much you guys. All the presents were great."

"Hey," Jase said from beside me, "forgetting someone?"

"Oh sorry," I said sincerely, for having actually forgotten he was there. He'd been busy with Slurpie in his lap.

"You'd better be. Forgetting your best friend is one thing, but your boyfriend is totally different. I do in fact have something for you, but now I don't think I'll give it to you." He turned up his nose in a huff.

He was just teasing. I could tell, so I leaned forward, gave him my best puppy-dog face and said, "Pwease could I have my pwesent?"

He looked at me and laughed. "You're ridiculous. Somebody take this slobber-puss." He handed off Slurpie to Melody before taking out a small box from his pocket. "For you," he said. The box wasn't wrapped. He just popped it open. Sitting on a bed of black velvet sat a silver-tone necklace. The pendant on the necklace was an open book and on one side of the book was a heart with three diamonds lining the edge.

My hand came up to my mouth in surprise. "Oh Jase, it's gorgeous."

He smiled, "Consider it a sort of double gift for the one I missed at Christmas."

"Yes," I replied coming in to give him a kiss. After the kiss I turned and asked, "Help me put it on." He set the silver chain around my neck with the pendant resting right in the middle of my chest.

His arms slipped around my waist and he hugged me close as he whispered in my ear, "Very sexy." A flash blinded me as Vic took another picture with her camera. I'd beg her for that picture later. I wanted a copy.

"Okay everybody," she chimed, "I want a group picture. Gather around Jase and Allie."

With minimal grumbling everyone crowded Jase and I. Victoire set the camera on the hearth and set the timer before she jumped in.

"Everyone say 'bookworm'," she laughed.

That produced more fits of laughter as we echoed 'bookworm' and the flash went off.

"Oh, I had my eyes closed," Melody whined, "Let's take it again!"

We all laughed at her and positioned ourselves in a circle again, settling in for a long and happy night, together.

THE END

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: So what's you think? Let me know and leave a little review. It'll talk you like a minute tops. Thanks so much. Hope you liked it.  
**


End file.
